I heard about the "Cinnamon Challenge" a couple of days ago from a friend. There were viral videos on Youtube of people who tried to swallow a whole spoonful of cinnamon in 60 seconds without drinking any water. I think this is both naive and incredibly stupid.
Ground cinnamon is so dry that it is just almost impossible to swallow, and I've seen videos of silly people choking and coughing on the cinnamon dust that just won't go down!
The other thing is that there are two different varieties of cinnamon and the cheapest variety (often the one found in many household kitchens) is called cassia and contains a high amount of coumarin, a natural substance that can damage the liver and affect blood sugar levels. The other variety, Ceylon Cinnamon is much more expensive but does contain very small amounts of coumarin (well below the maximum levels approved by the FDA) so it is definitely safer. When shopping at the spice section in your local supermarket or food store, just read the labels or ask the shop assistant for Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon and you might be surprised at the difference in price between the two.
While cinnamon does have enormous health benefits when taken in extremely small amounts (it helps to reduce pain and swelling due to arthritis, reduce LDL cholesterol levels and even helps prevent certain types of cancer), the people who try the Cinnamon Challenge are just asking for trouble. Eating and breathing in dry cinnamon powder can cause burning and inflammation of the throat and if there's a lot of coughing, even inflammation in the inner walls of the lungs. Add to that the fact that consuming cheap cassia cinnamon in large amounts (and one spoonful is definitely a large amount) can potentially cause liver damage. I'd stay clear of the challenge!
Ground cinnamon is so dry that it is just almost impossible to swallow, and I've seen videos of silly people choking and coughing on the cinnamon dust that just won't go down!
The other thing is that there are two different varieties of cinnamon and the cheapest variety (often the one found in many household kitchens) is called cassia and contains a high amount of coumarin, a natural substance that can damage the liver and affect blood sugar levels. The other variety, Ceylon Cinnamon is much more expensive but does contain very small amounts of coumarin (well below the maximum levels approved by the FDA) so it is definitely safer. When shopping at the spice section in your local supermarket or food store, just read the labels or ask the shop assistant for Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon and you might be surprised at the difference in price between the two.
While cinnamon does have enormous health benefits when taken in extremely small amounts (it helps to reduce pain and swelling due to arthritis, reduce LDL cholesterol levels and even helps prevent certain types of cancer), the people who try the Cinnamon Challenge are just asking for trouble. Eating and breathing in dry cinnamon powder can cause burning and inflammation of the throat and if there's a lot of coughing, even inflammation in the inner walls of the lungs. Add to that the fact that consuming cheap cassia cinnamon in large amounts (and one spoonful is definitely a large amount) can potentially cause liver damage. I'd stay clear of the challenge!
via Smart Health Shop Forum http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartHealthShopForum/~3/20nppwB6css/11170-cinnamon-health-benefits-dangers.html
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