Cinnamon and ginger may add more than flavor. A small new trial found that adding them to your diet may boost gut bacteria linked to better blood sugar control, making them a low-cost tweak researchers say is worth it.
More Beneficial Compounds in Gut
Researchers had 25 women, averaging around 58 years of age, eat yogurt with or without a culinary dose of ginger and cinnamon twice daily for four weeks, with a two-week break in between.
Yogurt was used as the base because it is a good prebiotic carrier and already known to support gut health; the spices were added on top to see if they added extra health benefits.
Researchers analyzed stool samples and found that the overall makeup of participants’ gut bacteria didn’t shift dramatically. However, three specific bacterial groups—Alistipes, Roseburia, and Ruminococcaceae—increased. The three are linked to higher peptide YY levels and more butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) tied to better blood sugar control.
Peptide YY supports weight loss by reducing appetite and slowing digestion. In the study, peptide YY levels remained elevated even after the spice phase ended.
SCFAs are made up of a variety of fatty acids that all carry different benefits. Butyrate is also a common SCFA that activates pathways that help prevent excessively high blood sugar; the fatty acid also feeds the lining in the colon and is essential for maintaining gut barrier integrity.
These findings suggest adding spices such as cinnamon and ginger to yogurt can encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria that produce compounds improving blood sugar control.
Who May Benefit
Diana Cusa, the senior dietitian at Plainview Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times that a few groups might benefit the most from this type of spice-based intervention, including those:
With Mild Digestive Discomfort: Occasional bloating, gas, or irregularity, without a diagnosed condition.
Recovering From Antibiotics: Antibiotics wipe out helpful bacteria along with harmful ones.
Focused on General Gut Maintenance: Including older adults, since digestive issues become more common with age
Mild, Low-Level Inflammation: Since both cinnamon and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties
As well as “people who occasionally experience symptoms like milk bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements, or general digestive discomfort, but don’t have a diagnosed severe gut condition,” Cusa said.
Other Ways to Improve Gut Health
Prioritizing fiber is the most important factor, Cusa noted.
Undigested fiber reaches the large intestine, where it feeds beneficial gut microbes. Cusa recommends eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
Prebiotic-rich foods are especially rich in undigested fiber, which feeds the microbes in the gut. Examples include alliums, asparagus, bananas, oats, apples, flax and chia seeds, legumes, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory root, and barley.
Cusa emphasized the importance of probiotic-rich fermented foods, which contain live beneficial bacteria that can populate the gut or influence our existing microbiome. These include yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi, tempeh, miso, kombucha, and naturally fermented pickles.
A Few Precautions
Before loading up on spices, Cusa recommends easing in slowly and drinking plenty of water. “Begin with mild spices and listen to your body,” she said. “Discomfort is a sign to slow down.”
Children are generally more sensitive to spices, she said. “Introduce very mild spices slowly and in small amounts and respect their preferences.”
Some spices, such as ginger, turmeric, and cayenne, have mild blood-thinning effects, and large amounts can interact with anticoagulants or affect the absorption or metabolism of some drugs. Anyone on medication should check with a doctor, pharmacist, or registered dietitian before adding them to their diet.
Cinnamon carries its own caution, especially the cheaper cassia variety found in most supermarkets, which contains a higher amount of coumarin and presents bleeding risks. Coumarin is present only in trace amounts in the more expensive Ceylon cinnamon, often called “true cinnamon.”
Coumarin can present health risks in people with liver disease or damage, children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
