Cinnamon Would Likely Improve Learning Ability, Study Says

The neurological scientists from Rush University Medical Center discovered that the cinnamon, which is a spice that is used in both sweet and savory foods, could also improve learning ability.

The research was printed online in the July issue of the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. The study involved mice model. The team of researchers discovered that feeding the mice with poor learning ability with cinnamon made them better learners, according to Science Daily.

Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D., the lead researcher of the study and the Floyd A. Davis Professor of Neurology at Rush said that consuming cinnamon would be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to convert poor learners to good learners. She further said that comprehending the brain mechanisms that lead to poor learning is significant to creating effective strategies to improve memory and learning the ability.

In the study, the mice have taken ground cinnamon, which their bodies processed into sodium benzoate. This is a chemical used as a drug treatment for brain damage. When the sodium benzoate entered the mice's brains, their CREB, which is a protein involved in memory and learning, increased. It decreased the GABRA5, which is a protein that produced tonic inhibitory conductance in the brain and fuelled the plasticity of the hippocampal neurons. The hippocampus is the small part of the brain that produces, organizes and stores memory.

The results showed improvement in memory and learning among the mice. Pahan said that they have successfully used cinnamon to reverse cellular, biochemical and anatomical changes that happen in the brains of the mice with poor learning.

Cinnamon is also known for its mid-brown color. It is obtained from the inner bark of many trees that belong from the genus Cinnamomum. This is considered the true cinnamon. Cinnamon is native to the Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and South America.

Cinnamon can help in treating diarrhea, muscle spasms, vomiting, common cold, erectile dysfunction, loss of appetite and infections, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It can also aid against Parkinson's disease. It may also lower the blood sugar of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, according to Medical News Today.