Cinnamon’s Potential Impact on Learning and Memory

The inner bark of Cinnamomum trees is the source of cinnamon, a well-known aromatic spice that many of us use to flavor savory dishes and bake cakes. The Himalayas, other mountain ranges, as well as rainforests and other forests in southern China, India, and Southeast Asia, are home to these evergreen trees.

Apart from its distinctive flavor, Cinnamon has many other benefits. For instance, research indicates that cinnamon has immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer qualities. Additionally, several studies suggested that its bioactive components could improve memory and learning. However, it has not yet been determined with certainty whether these results are accurate.

Recently, a group of scientists at Iran’s Birjand University of Medical Sciences evaluated a number of earlier investigations into the impact of cinnamon on cognitive processes. Their study, published in Nutritional Neuroscience, emphasizes cinnamon’s potential benefit for preventing or lessening memory or learning deficits. “This study aimed to systematically review research about the relationship between cinnamon and its key components in memory and learning,” Samaneh Nakhaee, Alireza Kooshki and their colleagues wrote in their paper. “Two thousand six hundred five studies were collected from different databases in September 2021 and went under investigation for eligibility. Forty studies met our criteria and were included in this systematic review.”

Numerous internet research databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, were combed through by Nakhaee, Kooshki, and their associates in order to review hundreds of papers. 40 of these papers, which were the most relevant to their area of interest, were then the focus of their investigation. 33 of these 40 kinds of research were conducted in vivo (i.e., examining real living organisms, such as humans, rodents, or other animals). Two of these were clinical investigations, while five of them were in vitro (i.e., not involving living things, such as by studying cells or post-mortem tissue) (i.e., with medical patients).

The author, year of publication, compound or type of cinnamon used, study population and sample sizes, doses of cinnamon or its bioactive components used, gender and age of participants, duration and method of consumption, and results obtained were all extracted by the researchers as pertinent information for all these studies. They then evaluated the research’ accuracy and dependability, paying attention to design, sample size, inclusion criteria, and other methodological elements. In the end, they evaluated and contrasted the findings of the 40 pertinent publications they had chosen. Overall, the majority of the research they reviewed indicated that cinnamon may benefit both memory and cognitive performance.

“In vivo studies showed that using cinnamon or its components, such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamic acid, could positively alter cognitive function,” Nakhaee, Kooshki, and their colleagues wrote in their paper. “In vitro studies also showed that adding cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde to a cell medium can reduce tau aggregation, Amyloid β and increase cell viability.”

The researchers looked at two clinical investigations, one of which involved teenagers and the other pre-diabetic persons 60 years of age or younger. The participants in the second trial were instructed to consume 2g of cinnamon on white bread, while those in the first study were encouraged to chew cinnamon gum.

Positive findings from the study on teenagers suggested that chewing cinnamon gum enhanced memory and decreased anxiety. The clinical investigation on pre-diabetic adults, in contrast, found no appreciable alterations in cognitive performance after cinnamon consumption.

“Most studies reported that cinnamon might be useful for preventing and reducing cognitive function impairment,” the researchers wrote in their paper. “It can be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of related diseases. However, more studies need to be done on this subject.”

Overall, the systematic review paper by Nakhaee, Kooshki, and colleagues raises the possibility that cinnamon and some of its active ingredients may improve brain function, enhancing learning and memory. This review may encourage additional research into cinnamon’s effects on the brain in the future, which might encourage its use to protect brain function and delay cognitive decline.

Source Link