The study’s results may not apply universally to all individuals, and more research is needed to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship between cinnamon consumption and prostate cancer prevention, said Dr JB Sharma, senior consultant, medical oncology, Action Cancer Hospital, Delhi
According to a recent study, cinnamon and its active ingredients may help prevent prostate cancer. The study, done by the Hyderabad-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), showed that cinnamon’s active ingredients, cinnamaldehyde and procyanidin B2, had an inhibitory effect on early-stage prostate cancer when given orally to rats.
Titled “Chemopreventive effect of cinnimon and its bioactive compounds in a rat model of premalignant prostate carcinogenesis”, the study published in the international peer-reviewed journal ‘cancer Prevention Research’ assessed the chemopreventive efficacy of cinnamon in vivo in male rats, the NIN has said in a release.
As part of the study, adult rats were given cinnamon or its bioactive compounds through the diet before induction of cancer and the rats were fed for 16 weeks. The study authors observed that feeding cinnamon or its active compounds resulted in 60-70 per cent of rats showing normal prostate histologically.
According to Ayesha Ismail, Head of the Endocrinology Division, who oversaw the study, “We tried to decipher the probable mechanism(s) for the chemopreventive effect and observed that cinnamon and its active components could mitigate oxidative stress and decrease the spread of cancer cells in the prostate gland.”
The authors intriguingly noted positive effects on bone mineral content and a decline in bone deterioration in the tested rats.Acknowledging the results about the Indian spice which is commonly used in the cuisine, Hemalatha R, director of ICMR-NIN, noted that the outcomes warrant more detailed studies before making dietary recommendations.
Notably, men are more likely than women to develop prostate cancer. In the laboratory, scientists have discovered that some elements of cinnamon may prevent the development of cancer cells and even cause them to undergo apoptosis, which is the process of cell death. “Cinnamon’s anti-inflammatory properties also play a role in reducing cellular stress and damage, which are factors associated with cancer development,” said Dr. JB Sharma, senior consultant, medical oncology, Action Cancer Hospital, Delhi.
