DESCRIPTION – Videos published on TikTok recommend putting a small spoonful of this spice in coffee to enjoy its taste, but also (and above all) to lose weight. We take into account.
Since its inception in 2016, TikTok has continued to create trends. Nutrition is also one of her favorite pastimes, and the social network is full of diet advice videos that often have the same goal of losing weight. Recently, users have been praising the weight-loss properties of cinnamon and encouraging people to add a spoonful of it to their morning coffee to change the flavor of the drink and especially for weight loss.
But what is it really? The link between cinnamon and weight loss is regularly confirmed, and it didn’t come about because of TikTok. We owe this to the spice’s ability to improve the absorption of sugar by cells and thereby regulate blood sugar (blood sugar levels), all thanks to its main active ingredient, cinnamaldehyde. This feature is backed up by science, confirms Dr. Faiza Bossi, general practitioner and nutritionist, who continues: By stabilizing it, cinnamon may help some people better control their appetite, a factor that promotes weight loss.
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Based on this observation, science has already tried to confirm the slimming properties of cinnamon. In an article published on the website The conversation On October 10, Evangeline Manzioris, a nutritionist and director of the Nutrition and Food Sciences Program at the University of South Australia, lists the conclusions of various scientific papers. The specialist thus mentions the first review of 35 studies conducted in 2021. This shows that consuming less than 1.5 grams of cinnamon per day (about half a teaspoon) reduced waist circumference by 1.68 cm. A second meta-analysis of 21 clinical trials involving a total of 1,480 people concluded that cinnamon reduced body mass index by 0.40 kg/m2 and weight by 0.92 kg. Finally, a third review in 2022, which included all available meta-analyses, highlighted an average loss of 0.67 kg among participants.
Modest effect
However, if cinnamon’s weight-loss effect is real, it remains modest, and the work presents various biases. As Evangeline Manzioris points out in her article, “existing scientific studies have focused mainly on people from the Middle East and/or the Indian subcontinent who suffer from various diseases. Therefore, we cannot be sure that this effect will be seen in people living in other countries and with different health conditions. Additionally, no studies have tested cinnamon sold in supermarkets, where the technique and shelf life may alter the active ingredients.
The results of studies to date are not significant, so the effect of cinnamon should not be overestimated
Dr. Faiza Bossi, Nutritionist
“The results of the studies to date are not significant, and the effect of the spice should therefore not be overestimated,” says nutritionist Faiza Bossi. The latter claims that no single food can help you lose weight. To achieve this goal, the most important thing is to apply the global rules of health and nutrition, namely regular physical activity, an active lifestyle and a balanced and varied diet. And the doctor concludes: “If the advice on TikTok sounds appealing, it doesn’t answer a much more complex question.” And it can even ruin the taste of our morning coffee.
Source: Le Figaro
