Warning to cinnamon lovers and those taking cinnamon supplements:
My doctor recommended taking (or eating) cinnamon cassia for weight loss, blood sugar regulation, etc. However, I just learned that this type of cinnamon was banned in Germany! Apparently it has extremely high levels of coumarin, a substance which thins blood and damages the liver! Coumarin has been illegal in the US since 1954; however, since it's found naturally in this species of cinnamon, it has gotten through the cracks and is found widely throughout grocery stores.
This is the same type of cinnamon you find in most foods- cereals, oatmeal, and the powder you sprinkle on your food. One of the articles I read said that German researchers found that even eating a few breakfasts a week with sprinkled cinnamon can put you past the tolerable level of coumarin. Children can eat even less of it before they risk liver damage (one article said about the equivalent of just a few german cinnamon cookies consistently over as little as a month).
However, we still have the option of eating ceylon cinnamon, often called "true" cinnamon, which has all (some studies suggest more) of the health benefits with negligible amounts of coumarin. Looks like it might have to be purchased online or at health stores, unfortunately. Generally in the US cinnamon cassia is sold/used because it is cheaper (you can use less of it with the same amount of flavor).
Here's some more info fyi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Regu...on-supplements
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=6672644