Interested in trying our FREE 7-day healthy diet plan? A favourite household spice, cinnamon was once traded as currency. The spice has a pleasant flavour and warm smell, making it popular in cooking, especially in cassia canela bakes and savoury curries. Derived from the inner bark of a small evergreen tree, the bark is peeled and laid in the sun to dry, where it curls into rolls known as cinnamon sticks.

Cinnamon is also available in powdered form. Discover our full range of health benefit guides and check out some of our delicious cinnamon recipes, from cinnamon buns to cinnamon tea. The distinctive smell and flavour of cinnamon derives from the essential oils contained in the bark, called cinnamaldehyde. These bacteria may help restore the balance of bacteria in your gut, support digestive health and alleviate any digestive issues. Human trials are promising and suggest cinnamon may have a moderate effect on lowering fasting blood sugar levels in those with diabetes.

In Alzheimer’s, accumulation of protein fragments in the brain act by slowing how a person thinks and remembers. 1 tsp per day is considered safe for most adults, with less for children. In rare circumstances, some people may experience allergic contact dermatitis. However, it is high in compounds called coumarins, which in large doses may cause toxicity. Ceylon, or ‘true’ cinnamon, has relatively low levels of coumarins and may be better tolerated. If consumed in large amounts, cinnamon may interact with prescribed medication, including those for diabetes, heart and liver disease. If you’re on prescription medication, have a relevant medical condition or have other related concerns, speak to your GP for further guidance.

Check out more of our cinnamon recipes. This article was updated on 22 November 2021 by Kerry Torrens. Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. Over the past 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

See our website terms and conditions for more information. This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution. When you have diabetes, it’s important to know how to cope when you’re unwell. Especially if you have to go into hospital. You’ll need to know how to manage insulin or other diabetes medications, blood or urine tests, and your diet, and how to manage your diabetes when you’re sick. This is really important if you go into hospital or if you need to take steroids as part of your treatment.

Always tell the healthcare professionals treating you that you have diabetes. As part of the body’s defence mechanism for fighting illness and infection, more glucose is released into the blood stream. This can happen even if you’re off your food or eating less than usual. People who don’t have diabetes just produce more insulin to cope. But when you’ve got diabetes, your body can’t do this. The symptoms of diabetes can add to those of the original illness or infection and make it much worse.

Feeling or being sick, or having diarrhoea can make your blood sugar levels drop, because you’re not absorbing food as usual. In some cases, severe dehydration and very high blood sugar levels can mean that you need to go into hospital. So it’s important to be prepared and follow our advice on coping when you’re sick. You might want to give this information to a friend or family member, so they can help you if you get sick. But there are some medicines that you shouldn’t take as much of or stop taking altogether.