Let me tell you about my friend Stanley. I met Stanley in an auto repair shop. The news was on reporting something negative, as usual, and we started chatting. I learned that Stanley is a 95 year old Army veteran from New England. He drives alone on eight-hour road trips each year, owns a house and has a sister who is 99! Upon first meeting, I knew Stanley was an older gentleman, but to learn he was 95 blew me over; he had all his teeth and was sharp as a tack.

At 95, you’d expect Stanley to have a few health issues, and he mentioned high cholesterol. He told me he takes cinnamon pills to lower his cholesterol as a recommendation from his doctor. I had never heard this before, so I started researching… There doesn’t seem to be a ton of research on this, but what I found is that those who also have diabetes seem to be more positively affected by regular cinnamon intake (which Stanley also mentioned he deals with).

Cinnamon is native to Southeast Asia; its essential oil and the bark itself are used to flavor and spice foods. They’ve also been proven to have many health benefits. One small study is what got the buzz going for cinnamon. In 2003, this study monitored 60 people over 40 days taking different daily doses of cinnamon (1, 3 and 6 grams). This study concluded that daily cinnamon intake “reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.”

After speaking with Stanley more, I learned that both he and his 99-year-old sister have been living in Lake Worth, South Florida, for more than 30 years. Without question, they attribute their longevity to warm weather. So the moral of the story is to embrace warm weather, and think about incorporating cinnamon into your diet!

Always ask your doctor before experimenting with something new in your diet.