If you enjoy a dash of cinnamon in your cooking or in your tea, take heart! Cinnamon has been found to help with blood sugar levels, cholesterol and healthy body fats.

Who would have thought that 'tree bark' could do so much for you! Just a quarter teaspoon a day for 2 months was found to have a marked affect on diabetics. The study was done at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.

This isn't the first time that cinnamon has been studied. Previous research has shown similar results, and doctors are very encouraged about this information. Apparently the cinnamon helps fat cells respond properly to insulin, helping them metabolize properly.

The word Cinnamon comes from the Hebrew word "qinnämön" and indeed Cinnamon is mentioned often in the Bible. It was loved for both cooking and religious ceremonies in Italy, Egypt and pretty much every ancient culture. Cinnamon is the bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree. Wars have been fought over control of cinnamon trade, and giant warehouses of cinnamon have been burnt deliberately to cause shortages and therefore price increases.

In modern culture, cinnamon has been relegated to the quiet task of adding zing to holiday cookies and drinks.

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