Protect yourself from Alzheimer's disease with cinnamon

Friday, September 24, 2010 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: dementia, cinnamon, health news

(NaturalNews) Degenerative mental diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia continue to ravish the lives of millions around the world. And to make matters worse, the financial burden of caring for dementia patients now tops one percent of the entire world's gross domestic product (GDP). But there are ways to help prevent and treat serious mental decline, including simply eating lots of cinnamon.

Dr. Richard Anderson, a diabetes expert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, discovered several years ago that cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar levels by improving the quality of insulin in the body. But more recently, he found that cinnamon also helps to stop the formation of Alzheimer's disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.

When eaten with food or taken in extract form, cinnamon helps block the formation of "tau filaments" that are associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. In tests, cinnamon actually disassembled and eliminated these filaments from within cells, effectively reversing the effects of the disease.

So how much is best to take? According to Dr. Anderson, getting 1000 milligrams (mg) of cinnamon a day is optimal. However a recent Fox News report suggests that people might benefit from taking even more. That report indicates that people can take up to a teaspoon a day of cinnamon for good health.

Since cinnamon is a food and not a drug, it is safe to consume even higher amounts than these if you choose. But it is important to obtain non-irradiated cinnamon in order to get the maximum therapeutic benefits from it. If you are unsure whether or not the cinnamon you buy is irradiated, it is best to contact the manufacturer to verify.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/health/2010...

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publication...