A study from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago suggests cinnamon could be used to slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease.
The disease is a neurological disorder that causes body tremors and issues with mobility, and it affects an estimated seven to 10 million people around the world, according to CNET.
The research team, led by neurology professors Dr. Kalipada Pahan, PhD, and Floyd A. Davis at Rush University Medical Center, conducted the study on mice affected by Parkinson's and found the spice was able to reverse the cellular, biochemical and anatomical changes in the mice's brains.
Two types of cinnamon are used commonly in the U.S., the first being Chinese cinnamon (cinnamon cassia) and Ceylon cinnamon (cinnamonum verrum). Both kinds are metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, a drug approved by the FDA that is used to treat hepatic metabolic deficiency. After the cinnamon is metabolized, the sodium benzoate travels into the brain to prevent the loss of the protein DJ-1.
Sodium benzoate not only prevents the loss of DJ-1 and Parkin the mice' brains, but also "protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD," researchers wrote in the study. Brains of Parkinson's patients have been found to be lacking Parkin and DJ-1, and stopping their loss is believed to be the way to slow the disease's progression.
The team found the mice benefited more from eating Ceylon cinnamon than Chinese cinnamon, due to the latter containing the chemical coumarin, which can be toxic to the liver.
"Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries," Pahan said. "This could potentially be one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson's patients.
"Now we need to translate this finding to the clinic and test ground cinnamon in 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."
The team published the study in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.
