Just a small sprinkle of spices can take your drinks and meals to another level. This is true for when you use cinnamon on your tea or coffee as it has a spicy sweet aroma. It not only leads to taste enhancement, but also has some health benefits. For instance, using the right cinnamon may help in reducing blood sugar, improving metabolism and reducing heart disease risk.
However, these health benefits may not be for all. In a recent study, cinnamon may disrupt prescription drug’s impact on the body. So if you’re taking medications you’ll need to be careful about the impact of cinnamon.
The University of Mississippi researchers found that the cinnamaldehyde component of the cinnamon can lead to higher breakdown of some medications. This can reduce the way our metabolizes the medicine and its effectiveness. So you won’t be getting any benefits of the medicine in case you are consuming too much cinnamon.
Cinnamon Could Affect Drug Metabolism in the Body
– The University of Mississippi researchers study how cinnamon interacts with prescription medications
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— Ole Miss (@OleMiss) April 24, 2025
The dosage of cinnamon can also be an issue. If you are having just a sprinkle the spice will not do any harm. But if you’re having spoons full of it in oats and rolls, then it will disrupt the medication impact.
A scientist in the study, Shabana Khan, says, “Health concerns could arise if excessive amounts of supplements are consumed without the knowledge of the health care provider or prescriber of the medications.
She also says that over consumption will remove the prescription medicine too quickly from the body; hence, making it ineffective. It will defeat the purpose of taking the medication in the first place. And you won’t want that happening in case you have chronic health issues. That is why it’s very crucial to learn about your health conditions and the foods that are not good while being on medication.
In another update, the same cinnamon oil in toiletries and food flavors won’t have the same hazardous impact. But if you consume it then it will cause interaction with medicine. In case you’re on blood thinning medication, coumarin will work as an anticoagulant and cause health issues.
We’re shining the spotlight on Dr. Zhaoping Li, whose research on cinnamon’s potential to regulate blood sugar ranked among the American Society of Nutrition’s top 10 most-viewed articles of 2024! Learn more about this study and its exciting impact here: https://t.co/uM33jBgbuK pic.twitter.com/f9xQ6qcHuG
— Department of Medicine at UCLA Health (@DOM_UCLA) March 4, 2025
Also note that the type of cinnamon you consume is also important. The cinnamon bark will cause more problems as the coumarin in it will lead to blood thinning. If you can get true cinnamon from Sri Lanka then you can consume it without any worries. It has way lower quantity of coumarin. Moreover, look into labels of the products and see that the ground cinnamon you’re buying is original and free from the bark.
Keep in mind that moderation is the key even when you’re using high quality cinnamon. Always consult your doctor if you take blood thinners. See if it’s safe for you to take the spice or use an alternative to maintain your health. If you have arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, cancer or HIV, you should be careful when adding cinnamon to food. Always practice caution and use ingredients that promote better health and recovery.
