Cinnamon (cinnamon) can be dangerous for people with liver disease

Cinnamon or cinnamon is a spice that is often used as an ingredient in cooking and drinks. In fact, cinnamon is often a substitute for sugar in food. Despite having a myriad of health benefits, cinnamon is said to increase the risk of liver disease. Check out the explanation here.

Is it true that cinnamon is dangerous for liver disease?

It is no secret that there are many benefits of cinnamon for the health of the body. The reason is, this spice called cinnamon contains flavonoids which work as antioxidants and help fight cell damage caused by free radicals.

However, consuming too much cinnamon can certainly be bad for health. One of the dangers of consuming cinnamon is the risk of liver disease.

The content in cinnamon can lead to the risk of liver disease

The risk of liver disease can occur due to the coumarin content in cinnamon. Coumarin is an anticoagulant agent that affects the blood's ability to clot.

If you are sensitive to coumarin, consuming large amounts of cinnamon can increase your risk of liver disease. This is evidenced by research from Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry .

Cinnamon is divided into two variants, namely cassia and ceylon cinnamon. The two types of cinnamon contain different amounts of coumarin compounds.

Cassia cinnamon, which is more commonly found, has a higher amount of coumarin than ceylon cinnamon. Unfortunately, the two types cannot be distinguished if it is in powder form.

In addition, early studies also show that coumarin can cause cancerous tumors. Even so, this study was only found in rodents, not humans, so further research is needed regarding these findings.

Although liver disease is a serious problem, there is no evidence to report that coumarin is carcinogenic to humans. On the other hand, cinnamon also offers a myriad of health that you may not want to miss.

Therefore, it is good to know what is the safe limit for consuming cinnamon to reduce the risk of liver disease.

Safe limit for consumption of cinnamon

One teaspoon of cinnamon weighs an average of 2.6 grams. This means that each teaspoon of Cassia cinnamon contains 6.9-18 mg of coumarin.

If so, one teaspoon of cinnamon per day can increase the risk of liver disease in adults. In fact, people who are already suffering from liver dysfunction need to be careful.

Normally, the recommended consumption of cinnamon is no more than 2-4 grams per day. These limits depend on the coumarin content in cinnamon, namely:

• Dosage of cassia cinnamon: less than 2 grams per day
• Ceylon cinnamon dosage: no more than 4 grams per day.

By knowing what is the safe dosage limit for cinnamon, you can at least maintain a healthy liver. If you are in doubt, please consult your doctor to find out what is the safe limit for consuming cinnamon and according to your condition.

Cinnamon safe dosage for children

Source: Eat This Much

Parents also need to be careful. The reason is, children can consume excessive coumarin even though they only eat cinnamon in relatively small amounts.

For example, a 5 year old child weighing 18 kg is only allowed to consume up to 1.8 mg of coumarin. This amount of coumarin is usually easily found in small portions of cinnamon cakes.

Although it is safe when consumed only occasionally, eating cinnamon too often can endanger children's health.

If you have further questions, discuss with your doctor to find out which solution is right for you.

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