Some Light-Hearted Medical Research News for the Holidays

The holidays are here! All the parties and festivities this month mean there will be plenty of extra sweets around to tempt you – which inevitably leads to discussions about holiday weight gain and how to survive the holidays without packing on a few extra pounds. But be of good cheer – the latest medical research shows that there are a couple of ingredients in some of those holiday treats that can actually help you control your weight!

A study led by Jon Wu conducted at the Michigan Life Sciences Institute in Ann Arbor showed that a component of cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, helps you burn fat. In other unrelated studies, researchers found that coconut palm sugar may help control blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics.

Cinnamaldehyde is what gives cinnamon its flavor, but what Wu and his research associates discovered is that it also has a direct effect on fat cells. Adipocytes (fat cells) in both mice and humans were treated with cinnamaldehyde. Through the process of thermogenesis, the cinnamaldehyde triggers the adipocytes to start burning their stored fat.

When the body doesn’t need extra energy provided by fat cells, thermogenesis, the process of burning energy, is essentially turned off. Cinnamaldehyde acts like a switch to turn thermogenesis back on. Researchers are anticipating that further exploration regarding cinnamaldehyde’s therapeutic use could lead to safer and better strategies to combat obesity, but more research is needed to determine if the use of cinnamaldehyde has any negative side effects to be aware of.

Coconut palm sugar looks and tastes like brown sugar and is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. Coconut palm sugar contains inulin, a fermentable prebiotic sugar that is beneficial to gut bacteria and may help control sugar levels in people who have Type 2 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity may be improved by the inulin found in coconut palm sugar. The sugar may also have additional metabolic effects for individuals at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Studies noted further research regarding the relationship between coconut palm sugar and Type 2 diabetes is required.

The American Diabetes Association finds coconut palm sugar to be an acceptable sugar substitute. Foods with a Glycemic Index (GI) of 55 or less are considered to have a low GI and are suitable for diabetics. Refined table sugar has a GI of 68 while coconut palm sugar’s GI ranges from 38-54 depending on which research you use. GI’s can vary depending on their source, which is likely why there is the discrepancy for coconut palm sugar.

Swapping coconut palm sugar for refined sugar has nutritional benefits as well. While only in small percentages, coconut palm sugar does also contain iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, so this holiday season be sure to swap out your sugar and add a few extra dashes of cinnamon to your treats!

At Lifecycle, we understand all the hard work that goes into studies like these.  As a life sciences tools and services provider, our products play a critical role in medical research. To learn more about how we can support your lab, contact us today.