Does cinnamon consumption lead to a decrease in blood pressure levels?

Answer from top 1 papers

Cinnamon appears to have a positive effect on lowering blood pressure, according to several studies:
Multiple studies have demonstrated that cinnamon intake can significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, adding cinnamon (8% w/w) to diets reduced systolic blood pressure to levels similar to rats on non-sucrose diets (). A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that short-term cinnamon consumption decreased systolic blood pressure by 5.39 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 2.6 mm Hg in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (). Additionally, in women with rheumatoid arthritis, cinnamon supplementation significantly lowered diastolic blood pressure compared to placebo ().
Interestingly, while cinnamon appears to lower blood pressure, its mechanisms may not be solely related to glucose metabolism. notes that cinnamon reduced blood pressure in rats on both sucrose and non-sucrose diets, suggesting it may affect genetic components of elevated blood pressure as well. Furthermore, found no significant changes in fasting blood sugar levels with cinnamon supplementation, despite observing blood pressure reductions.
In conclusion, the available evidence suggests that cinnamon has potential as a natural intervention for lowering blood pressure. However, as noted in , longer-term studies with larger sample sizes are needed to fully evaluate cinnamon's clinical potential for blood pressure control, especially in specific populations like those with type 2 diabetes. While promising, it would be premature to recommend cinnamon as a primary treatment for hypertension based on current evidence.

Source Papers

399
10.1001/archinte.166.4.411

Cocoa Intake, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Mortality

Feb 27, 2006
Archives of Internal Medicine
Brian Buijsse + 3 more +3

Small, short-term, intervention studies indicate that cocoa-containing foods improve endothelial function and reduce blood pressure. We studied whether habitual cocoa intake was cross-sectionally related to blood pressure and prospectively related with cardiovascular mortality. Data used were of 470 elderly men participating in the Zutphen Elderly Study and free of chronic diseases at baseline. Blood pressure was measured at baseline and 5 years later, and causes of death were ascertained during 15 years of follow-up. Habitual food consumption was assessed by the cross-check dietary history method in 1985, 1990, and 1995. Cocoa intake was estimated from the consumption of cocoa-containing foods. One third of the men did not use cocoa at baseline. The median cocoa intake among users was 2.11 g/d. After adjustment, the mean systolic blood pressure in the highest tertile of cocoa intake was 3.7 mm Hg lower (95% confidence interval [CI], -7.1 to -0.3 mm Hg; P = .03 for trend) and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 2.1 mm Hg lower (95% CI, -4.0 to -0.2 mm Hg; P = .03 for trend) compared with the lowest tertile. During follow-up, 314 men died, 152 of cardiovascular diseases. Compared with the lowest tertile of cocoa intake, the adjusted relative risk for men in the highest tertile was 0.50 (95% CI, 0.32-0.78; P = .004 for trend) for cardiovascular mortality and 0.53 (95% CI, 0.39-0.72; P < .001) for all-cause mortality. In a cohort of elderly men, cocoa intake is inversely associated with blood pressure and 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.