Effects of cinnamon supplementation on antioxidant status and serum lipids in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

What this study found

Cinnamon supplementation improved antioxidant status and produced favorable changes in serum lipids in women with PCOS. In the cinnamon group, total antioxidant capacity increased from 1.66 (0.32) to 1.83 (0.42), while malondialdehyde decreased from 2.33 (0.63) to 2.16 (0.75); the end-of-study differences were significant for TAC (P = 0.005) and MDA (P = 0.014). Total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C were significantly better than placebo at the end of the study (P < 0.05), while triglycerides did not change significantly (P = 0.71). No side effects were reported.

Study & population

This was a 1:1 controlled intervention study in overweight or obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Intervention

The active intervention was oral cinnamon bark powder, given as three capsules daily for 8 weeks.

Key limitation

The trial was short (8 weeks) and had a modest sample size.

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