Cumin Seeds

タイトルまたは説明

Background
Cumin is a spice made from the seeds of the Cuminum cyminum plant.
Many dishes use cumin, especially foods from its native regions of the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia.
Cumin lends its distinctive flavor to chili, tamales and various Indian curries. Its flavor has been described as earthy, nutty, spicy and warm.
Benefits
1. Promotes Digestion
The most common traditional use of cumin is for indigestion.
In fact, modern research has confirmed cumin may help rev up normal digestion .
For example, it may increase the activity of digestive enzymes, potentially speeding up digestion.
Cumin also increases the release of bile from the liver. Bile helps digest fats and certain nutrients in your gut.
In one study, *7 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported improved symptoms after taking concentrated cumin for two weeks.

2. Is a Rich Source of Iron
Cumin seeds are naturally rich in iron.
One teaspoon of ground cumin contains 1.4 mg of iron, or *7.5% of the RDI for adults.
Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies, affecting up to *0% of the world's population and up to *0 in 1,**0 people in the wealthiest nations.
In particular, children need iron to support growth and young women need iron to replace blood lost during menstruation.
Few foods are as iron-dense as cumin. This makes it a good iron source, even when used in small amounts as a seasoning.

3. Contains Beneficial Plant Compounds
Cumin contains lots of plant compounds that are linked with potential health benefits, including terpenes, phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids.
Several of these function as antioxidants, which are chemicals that reduce damage to your body from free radicals.
Free radicals are basically lonely electrons. Electrons like being in pairs and when they split up, they become unstable.
These lone, or "free" electrons steal other electron partners away from other chemicals in your body. This process is called "oxidation."
The oxidation of fatty acids in your arteries leads to clogged arteries and heart disease. Oxidation also leads to inflammation in diabetes, and the oxidation of DNA can contribute to cancer.
Antioxidants like those in cumin give an electron to a lonely free radical electron, making it more stable.

4. May help with Diabetes
 Some of cumin's components have shown promise helping to treat diabetes.
One clinical study showed a concentrated cumin supplement improved early indicators of diabetes in overweight individuals, compared to a placebo .
Cumin also contains components that counter some of the long-term effects of diabetes.
One of the ways diabetes harms cells in the body is through advanced glycation end products.
They're produced spontaneously in the bloodstream when blood sugar levels are high over long periods of time, as they are in diabetes. AGEs are created when sugars attach to proteins and disrupt their normal function.
AGEs are likely responsible for damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and small blood vessels in diabetes.
Cumin contains several components that reduce AGEs, at least in test-tube studies.
While these studies tested the effects of concentrated cumin supplements, routinely using cumin as a seasoning may help control blood sugar in diabetes.

5. May Improve Blood Cholesterol
Cumin has also improved blood cholesterol in clinical studies.
In one study, *5 mg of cumin taken twice daily for eight weeks decreased unhealthy blood triglycerides.
In another study, levels of oxidized "bad" LDL cholesterol were decreased by nearly *0% in patients taking cumin extract over one and a half months.
One study of *8 women looked at whether cumin affected levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Those who took 3 grams of cumin with yogurt twice a day for three months had higher levels of HDL than those who ate yogurt without it.

6. May Promote Weight Loss and Fat Reduction
Concentrated cumin supplements have helped promote weight loss in a few clinical studies.
One study of *8 overweight women found that yogurt containing 3 grams of cumin promoted weight loss, compared to yogurt without it.
Another study showed that participants who took *5 mg of cumin supplements every day lost 3 pounds (1.4 kg) more than those who took a placebo.
A third clinical study looked at the effects of a concentrated cumin supplement in *8 adult men and women. Those who took the supplement lost 2.2 pounds (1 kg) more over eight weeks than those who did not.

7. May Prevent Food-Borne Illnesses
One of cumin's traditional roles in seasoning may have been for food safety.
Many seasonings, including cumin, appear to have antimicrobial properties that may reduce the risk of food-borne infections.
Several components of cumin reduce the growth of food-borne bacteria and certain kinds of infectious fungi.
When digested, cumin releases a component called megalomicin, which has antibiotic properties.

8. May Help With Drug Dependence
Narcotic dependence is a growing concern internationally.
Opioid narcotics create addiction by hijacking the normal sense of craving and reward in the brain. This leads to continued or increased use.
Studies in mice have shown that cumin components reduce addictive behavior and withdrawal symptoms.
However, much more research is needed to determine whether this effect would be useful in humans.

9. May Fight Inflammation
Test-tube studies have shown cumin extracts inhibit inflammation.