July 09, 2014 - Blogs
Using cinnamon, a common food spice and flavoring material, can reverse the biomechanical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
“Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries," said Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D., study lead researcher 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."
Parkinson's disease affects about 1.2 million patients in the United States and Canada.
Cinnamon is a familiar flavor, and one many consumers are beginning to recognize as being beneficial for good health. In fact, consumption of cinnamon can cause a significant decrease in levels of fasting plasma glucose and can also lower total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglyceride levels, and increase HDL-C levels.
The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which then enters into the brain, stops the loss of Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.
“Cinnamon is metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, which is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment for hepatic metabolic defects associated with hyperammonemia," Pahan said.
The next step, according to Pahan, is to test the findings in human patients with PD. “If these results are replicated in PD patients, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of this devastating neurodegenerative disease," Pahan said.
Although 15 percent of patients are diagnosed with PD before age 50, it is generally considered a disease that targets older adults, affecting one of every 100 persons over the age of 60. From a product development standpoint, understanding the needs of a particular demographic can prove useful so as to align products with those needs. This is especially important when designing functional foods and beverages.
In fact, Food Product Design discussed this in its latest Digital Issue, Functional Foods and Beverages, which noted that while it’s important to consider age demographics, it’s more important to understand the needs of the consumer. In some cases, a 30-year-old may have the same needs as a 60-year-old. And in some cases, not all 50-year-old will have the same need.
There are two types of cinnamon common in the United States—Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamonum cassia) and original Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum).
In the present study, researchers found that while “both types of cinnamon are metabolized into sodium benzoate, by mass spectrometric analysis, we have seen that Ceylon cinnamon is much more pure than Chinese cinnamon as the latter contains coumarin, a hepatotoxic molecule," Pahan said.
Coumarin can cause liver damage in a small group of individuals sensitive to it. Coumarin as an additive or as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extracts is banned from food in the United States due to its potentially adverse side effects. However, coumarin in food from other natural ingredients is not regulated.
Using cinnamon, a common food spice and flavoring material, can reverse the biomechanical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
“Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries," said Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D., study lead researcher 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."
Parkinson's disease affects about 1.2 million patients in the United States and Canada.
Cinnamon is a familiar flavor, and one many consumers are beginning to recognize as being beneficial for good health. In fact, consumption of cinnamon can cause a significant decrease in levels of fasting plasma glucose and can also lower total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglyceride levels, and increase HDL-C levels.
The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which then enters into the brain, stops the loss of Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.
“Cinnamon is metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, which is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment for hepatic metabolic defects associated with hyperammonemia," Pahan said.
The next step, according to Pahan, is to test the findings in human patients with PD. “If these results are replicated in PD patients, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of this devastating neurodegenerative disease," Pahan said.
Although 15 percent of patients are diagnosed with PD before age 50, it is generally considered a disease that targets older adults, affecting one of every 100 persons over the age of 60. From a product development standpoint, understanding the needs of a particular demographic can prove useful so as to align products with those needs. This is especially important when designing functional foods and beverages.
In fact, Food Product Design discussed this in its latest Digital Issue, Functional Foods and Beverages, which noted that while it’s important to consider age demographics, it’s more important to understand the needs of the consumer. In some cases, a 30-year-old may have the same needs as a 60-year-old. And in some cases, not all 50-year-old will have the same need.
There are two types of cinnamon common in the United States—Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamonum cassia) and original Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum).
In the present study, researchers found that while “both types of cinnamon are metabolized into sodium benzoate, by mass spectrometric analysis, we have seen that Ceylon cinnamon is much more pure than Chinese cinnamon as the latter contains coumarin, a hepatotoxic molecule," Pahan said.
Coumarin can cause liver damage in a small group of individuals sensitive to it. Coumarin as an additive or as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extracts is banned from food in the United States due to its potentially adverse side effects. However, coumarin in food from other natural ingredients is not regulated.
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