Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally. Around 20.5 million people a year die from it. So, preventing it by cutting its risk factors off at the pass is crucial. Simple cinnamon may do just that.

There are several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including obesity, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. This large and carefully designed systematic review and meta-analysis found that cinnamon can help with all of them.

49 studies that included 3,038 people were included in the study. Meta-analysis revealed that, though cinnamon does not help with weight loss, it does significantly reduce waist circumference, which is vital because losing abdominal fat is the most important weight loss for preventing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and for living longer.

Importantly, cinnamon significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, significantly reduced total cholesterol, the bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while significantly increasing heart healthy HDL cholesterol. Cinnamon also significantly improved fasting glucose, after eating glucose and fasting insulin. It significantly improved insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HbA1c, the most important marker of long term blood sugar and diabetes control.

Cinnamon may be most effective when used for 8 weeks or longer in larger doses of 2000-6000 mg a day. The researchers conclude that “This systematic review and meta-analysis provides robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of cinnamon supplementation in ameliorating various risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.”

They add that “Given its favorable safety profile and accessibility, healthcare practitioners may consider incorporating cinnamon supplementation into dietary recommendations for individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases.”

J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jul 3;44:233.