Cinnamon and capsicum with a high-carb meal in overweight men
What it found
In men with overweight or obesity, taking cinnamon and capsicum with a high-carbohydrate meal changed levels of certain blood fats and other metabolites after eating.
The spices seemed to partly reverse changes seen with the meal alone.
What they found
Studies in people
Metabolite response to meal
After a high-carb meal, men with overweight or obesity showed different changes in many blood metabolites compared with normal-weight men. These differences were mainly seen after the high-carb meal, not the normal-carb meal.
Lipid changes
The high-carb meal led to a substantial increase in several phospholipids and fatty acid amides in the overweight/obesity group. Some sphingolipids decreased.
Cinnamon and capsicum effect
Taking cinnamon and capsicum with the high-carb meal changed levels of certain metabolites in the opposite direction to the meal alone. This suggests the spices may partly counteract the meal's effects.
Pathways affected
The metabolic pathways altered by the high-carb meal were also affected by cinnamon and capsicum intake. This included pathways like arachidonic acid and glycerophospholipid metabolism.
What the authors conclude
“Ingestion of cinnamon/capsicum was shown to diminish metabolic changes evoked by a HC meal in men with OW/OB.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that a high-carbohydrate meal may cause unfavourable metabolic changes in people with overweight or obesity.
- They suggest that cinnamon and capsicum intake can diminish these metabolic changes.
- They call for future studies in larger groups including women and men, and for lab and animal experiments to confirm the findings.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how a high-carbohydrate meal affects blood metabolites in people with overweight or obesity, and whether cinnamon and capsicum could reduce any unfavourable changes.
They studied 24 healthy men, 12 with normal weight and 12 with overweight or obesity, who ate high-carb or normal-carb meals on separate visits. In a second part, 20 men with overweight or obesity ate a high-carb meal with either a capsule of 2 g cinnamon and 200 mg capsicum or a placebo capsule.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small study in men only, so the results may not apply to women or to people of other ages or health statuses.
- The study looked at short-term changes after a single meal, so it cannot show what happens with long-term use of cinnamon and capsicum.
- The study cannot prove that cinnamon and capsicum prevent any disease or health condition.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declared no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Medical University of Bialystok, Poland
The paper
- Title
- The Beneficial Effect of Cinnamon and Red Capsicum Intake on Postprandial Changes in Plasma Metabolites Evoked by a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Men with Overweight/Obesity
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Hameed A, Adamska-Patruno E, Godzien J, et al (2022). The Beneficial Effect of Cinnamon and Red Capsicum Intake on Postprandial Changes in Plasma Metabolites Evoked by a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Men with Overweight/Obesity. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14204305Free full textPubMed 36296989DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error