Cinnamon can Halt the Progression of Parkinson’s Disease: Study

Researchers have found that cinnamon consumption can halt the progression of Parkinson's disease.

The study conducted on mice models found that intake of cinnamon can slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Researchers explain that cinnamon reverses the biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes in the brains of the Parkinson-affected mice. The study was led by Dr Kalipada Pahan, PhD, and the Floyd A. Davis, professor of neurology at Rush University Medical Center.

"This could potentially be one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson's patients," researchers wrote in a press release, adding "cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries."

In the U.S. two types of cinnamon are commonly used; the Chinese cinnamon (cinnamon cassia) and original Ceylon cinnamon (cinnamonum verum ) and both are  metabolized in liver to sodium benzoate,  which is an FDA- approved  drug used for the treatment of hepatic metabolic deficiency but Ceylon cinnamon is purer than Chinese cinnamon. The ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which later enters into the brain and stops the loss of DJ-1, a protein.

Some important proteins like Parkin and DJ-1 decrease in the brain of PD patients.

Dr. Pahan says scientists need to translate the current finding of ground cinnamon into clinical tests on Parkinson's patients and if the results replicate on them then it would be a remarkable advancement for the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease.

This research was supported by grants from National Institutes of Health and was published in the June issue of the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.