Can you imagine if all you had to do to improve your ability to learn was to sprinkle a delicious spice on your food each day? In a study published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, researchers found that cinnamon can increase the level of a protein vital to memory and learning.
Cinnamon was found to increase the level of GABRA5 (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor Alpha5 Subunit) in the hippocampus area of the brain. GABRA5 plays to key role in learning and memory.
Researchers took a group of mice that had impaired learning and placed them in a maze and measured how long it took them to find the exit. They then fed the mice cinnamon every day for 30 days and placed them in to a different maze with the same amount of difficulty. Researchers found that the mice were able to find their way out twice as fast as before they were fed cinnamon. When the researchers repeated their experiment with mice that were already good learners, eating cinnamon did not improve their abilities.
Comments: When using cinnamon, use only the Ceylon variety. It is lowest in coumarin—a plant compound that can be cancerous and toxic to the liver in high doses.
