Cinnamon Fights Alzheimer's Disease

According to a recent study published in "The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" Patients with Alzheimer's show two dominant characteristics in their brain, plaque and tangles. There is amyloid plaque build up that coats the outside of the neurons and neurofibrillary plaque on the inside of the neurons. The neurons, nerve cells in the brain, may contain these plaques and tangles in people without Alzheimer's disease, but the brains of those with Alzheimer's have significant more of them.

While turmeric helps reduce the plaque in Alzheimer's patients, the cinnamon can help reduce the filaments, the tau that form in the patients' brains. These filaments form tangles that interfere with the processing of information and cognitive thought. It seems that the cinnamon sugar Mom served on toast in the morning might have helped keep your brain functioning well besides providing a delicious way to fill your stomach.

In the tests conducted, it showed that the tau filaments first disassembled and then eliminated with the ingestion of cinnamon. This indicates that cinnamon might be one of the effective fighters of Alzheimer's, even reversing early effects of the disease.

You probably wonder how much is enough to take in order to receive this wonderful effect. The answer is less than a teaspoon a day. That is just enough to make two pieces of toast delightfully tasty at breakfast or improve the flavor of applesauce in the evening.

Cinnamon does more than just help Alzheimer's patients. According to the USDA website, it also helps reduce the effects of a stroke, help those with cardiovascular problems; helps reduce insulin resistance and elevated glucose levels. It also prevents cancer cells from spreading, helps with blood pressure problems and inflammation. The use of cinnamon toothpicks also helps smokers to reduce their craving for cigarettes.

While the use of cinnamon to fight Alzheimer's is still in the infancy stages, many caretakers note an improvement in their charges memory and behavior once they begin a regimen of cinnamon. Whether the anecdotal information is valid doesn't make a difference because simply putting cinnamon in cereal, oatmeal, applesauce and on toast can only make the food more appealing and isn't toxic to the condition. If the theory proves true, then the caretaker has helped alleviate the disease or its progression. If it turns out the study only worked in a Petri dish, they've provided a tasty treat for their charges. Either way it's a win/win situation.

Until the final studies show whether the use of cinnamon or turmeric can slow or reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, people with a predisposition or caretakers of Alzheimer's patients might be wise to include curried foods, the main ingredient in curry is turmeric, and cinnamon toast in the diet. It's doubtful that drug companies will spend millions on research of the effects of this "non-patentable" ingredient and doctors are often slow in suggesting simple home remedies for anything. Even though some studies show both are good for reversing the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease, it will take a long time before any definitive study shows that cinnamon fights Alzheimer's and time is something Alzheimer's patients don't have.