Introduction:
Cinnamon is an aromatic spice that many people use to make cakes and savory dishes. It comes from the Cinnamomum tree's inner bark. These trees are evergreen and can be found in the Himalayas, other mountain regions, and in forests and other areas in South China, India, and Southeast Asia.
cinnamon may have other benefits than its unique flavor. Studies have shown that cinnamon may be anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant. It can also improve the immune system.
Some studies also demonstrated that bioactive substances could improve brain function. This includes memory and learning. These findings have not yet been validated.
Birjand University Medical Sciences in Iran recently reviewed a number of studies that had examined the effects of cinnamon on cognitive function. The Nutritional Neuroscience report highlights the potential benefits of cinnamon in preventing or reducing learning and memory impairments.
"This paper was written by Samaneh Nakhaee and Alireza Kooshki, which aimed to review all studies on the relationship between cinnamon extract and key components of memory and learning." Two thousand six hundred five studies were gathered from various databases in September 2021. They were then investigated for eligibility. Forty studies were eligible and included in the systematic review .
Nakhaee and Kooshki reviewed hundreds of studies from several online research databases including Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The team then narrowed their search to 40 studies, focusing on the most relevant to their topic.
33 of these 40 studies were in vivo, which means they examined living organisms such as rodents or humans. Five were in vitro, i.e. they were not conducted with living organisms (for instance, by analysing cells or post-mortem tissues) and two were clinical trials.
Researchers gathered data pertinent to these studies. This included the year of publication, type or compound of cinnamon used in the study, sample size and population sizes, cinnamon dosages or bioactive components used, gender, age, consumption method, duration, and results. The researchers then evaluated the reliability and quality of the studies by examining their design, sample size and inclusion criteria as well as other aspects.
They analyzed the results from the 40 articles that they had selected and compared them. They found that most studies on cinnamon had shown a positive effect on both memory and cognition.
In their paper, Nakhaee and Kooshki wrote that "in vivo studies demonstrated that cinnamon or its components, including eugenol and cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acids, could positively alter cognitive functioning." In vitro studies also demonstrated that the addition of cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde in cell media can decrease tau aggregation and Amyloid b, and increase cell viability.
The researchers analyzed two clinical studies, one on adolescents and one on pre-diabetic patients who were at least 60 years old. The first study required adolescents to chew cinnamon gum. The second asked participants to eat 2g cinnamon on white bread.
Positive results were found in the study of adolescents, which suggested that chewing cinnamon gum could improve memory function and reduce anxiety. The clinical trial on prediabetic adults did not show any significant cognitive changes after cinnamon consumption.
Researchers wrote that most studies had shown cinnamon to be effective in preventing or reducing cognitive impairment. It can also be used in conjunction with other diseases. This subject requires more research.
The systematic review by Nakhaee and Kooshki, along with their colleagues, suggests that some active ingredients of cinnamon could have positive effects on brain function, including memory and learning. This review may inspire future research teams to examine the effects of cinnamon on the brain. This could help to promote its use and slow down cognitive impairment.
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