PrintPossiblity of contamination of coumarin in cinnamon?
I just read that the spice, cinnamon, can possibly be contaminated with coumarin, causing toxicity to the liver in large amounts. I go through 3 regular size spice bottles of cinnamon a week. I LOVE it, obviously, use it on so many things, actually i crave it. ~~ i think the amount of cinnamon i consume would most definitely qualify as consumption in "LARGE" amount category. Does any one have any advice, or perhaps, valid information that suggests this to be true? i would greatly appreciate any thoughts or knowledge concerning this possible contamimation found in some batches of cinnamon. i think i will have to taper off of it, if it does, because i suspect that i am ADDICTED to it by now! Thanks, ~phyllis~
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13 Comments:
Please research this, for I use cinnamon every morning with my flax seed raw oatmeal and would love to know this answer.
NickDavid at 9:20AM on 03/27/07
Here's a pretty useful website: http://www.bfr.bund.de/cd/8487
emily20008 at 9:28AM on 03/27/07
Three bottles? Lots of things that are safe in small quantities are harmful when taken/eaten/drunk to excess. You might want to think about cutting back a bit.
BaHa at 11:24AM on 03/27/07
Okay, how can you use THREE BOTTLES of cinnamon a week? That is way too much, whether it is harmful or not.
NYminknit at 11:40AM on 03/27/07
I have to know what you could possibaly use THREE BOTTLES of cinnamon on in one week????
Sindy at 4:08PM on 03/27/07
Seriously though, you may want to talk to your doctor about this. Coumarin is a blood thinner and it may have effects with other medications that you are taking.
While the internet is a valuable source for medical research, and helping someone learn how to talk to their doctor, you should ALWAYS talk to your doctor regarding medical advice.
monica at 4:46PM on 03/27/07
I just checked and Penzey's has Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka. They refer to it as the "true" cinnamon.
pageycooks at 4:40PM on 03/29/07
hi i'm a science student who's currently doing a research on coumarin, so i was very interested in your blog :D
well, from the little research i've done so far, coumarin seems to be toxic to rats and that is why it is used as a rodenticide. In rat's organism, it can react to become 3,4-coumarin epoxide, which is highly toxic and causes internal hemorrhage. However, in human's body, thanks to the cytochrome P450 2A6, coumarin is converted to a non toxic substance 7-hydroxycoumarin. In addition, because it causes tumor in rat's liver, there are many rumours saying that it is toxic to human liver as well. I personally think that further research has to be done before stating such a thing.
As for the relationship between cinnamon and coumarin, i think it is not so well based. But on the other hand, it is never good to be addicted to anything, so better lighten your cinnamon intake dosage!
yw8808 at 4:18PM on 04/15/07
Yes, there is a connection between cinnamon and coumarin! There are many articles. Here is part of one: 3rd paragraph mentions limiting your intake of cinnamon.
from: http://www.answers.com/topic/coumarin
Coumarin toxicity
Coumarin is often found in tobacco products and artificial vanilla substitutes, though it has been banned as a food additive in numerous countries since the mid-20th century because it is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys, with an LD50 of 275 mg/kg - low compared to related compounds. Although only somewhat dangerous to humans, coumarin is a potent rodenticide: rats and other rodents largely metabolize it to 3,4-coumarin epoxide, a toxic compound that can cause internal hemorrhage and death. Humans largely metabolize it to 7-hydroxycoumarin, a compound of lower toxicity.
Coumarin was banned as a food additive in the United States in 1978. OSHA considers this compound to be only a lung-specific carcinogen, and "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans" [1]. Coumarin was banned as an adulterant in cigarettes by tobacco companies in 1997, but due to the lack of reporting requirements to the US Department of Health and Human Services it was still being used as a flavoring additive in pipe tobacco.[citation needed] Coumarin is currently listed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) among "Substances Generally Prohibited From Direct Addition or Use as Human Food", according to 21 CFR 189.130 [2][3], but some natural additives containing coumarin (such as sweet woodruff) are allowed "in alcoholic beverages only" (21 CFR 172.510 [4]). In Europe, such beverages are very popular, for example Maiwein (white wine with woodruff) and Żubrówka (vodka flavored with bison grass).
European health agencies have warned against consuming high amounts of cassia bark, one of the four species of cinnamon, because of its coumarin content. [1]
Coumarin should be avoided by people with perfume allergy[2].
Compounds
Compounds within the coumarin family include:
warfarin,
brodifacoum,[3][4]
bromadiolone,[5]
coumafuryl,[6] and
difenacoum.[7]
With the exception of warfarin, the remaining compounds are used as rodenticides.
JuJuBee at 1:56PM on 07/30/07
Cinnamon in large doses or for long term use is not recommended.
If you are using cinnamon for glucose control, a less toxic form is Cinnulin PF. One brand is Cinnabetic II.
Notice that the previous article did say that, regarding coumarin, it's "largely metabolized" in humans to a form with lower toxicity.
JuJuBee at 2:03PM on 07/30/07
You should use Ceylon Cinnamon as the coumarin content is very low.
Please click the below link to identify real cinnamon from Cassia.
http://www.ceylon-cinnamon.com/Identify-Cinnamon.htm
Pat C at 9:59AM on 04/12/08
i would be very interested to know what you use three bottles a week in/on. i go through maybe one bottle every year, and i love cinnamon.
cybercita at 10:20AM on 04/12/08
Thank you for the link on Ceylon Cinnamon. I was amazed how sweet it tastes compared to the Cassia we buy locally.
The Cinnamon was delivered to me within 3 days from Ceylon which is half around the world.
Pat C at 11:56AM on 04/17/08