Not only a wonderful and unique flavor for so many dishes, but good for you too!
Research has confirmed cumin has health benefits such as promoting digestion and reducing food-borne infections. It also suggests some lesser-known benefits like promoting weight loss and improving blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
- Promotes digestion
- A rich source of Iron
- Beneficial plant compounds
- May help with diabetes
- May improve cholesterol levels
- May promote weight loss
- May Prevent food borne illnesses
- May help with drug dependance
- May fight inflammation
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 (1Trusted Source). For example, it may increase the activity of digestive enzymes, potentially speeding up digestion (2). Cumin also increases the release of bile from the liver. Bile helps digest fats and certain nutrients in your gut (1Trusted Source). In one study, 57 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported improved symptoms after taking concentrated cumin for two weeks (3Trusted Source).
A rich source of Iron
Beneficial plant compounds
Cumin contains lots of plant compounds that are linked with potential health benefits, including terpenes, phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source). Several of these function as antioxidants, which are chemicals that reduce damage to your body from free radicals (12Trusted Source). 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 (13Trusted Source). Antioxidants like those in cumin give an electron to a lonely free radical electron, making it more stable (14Trusted Source). Cumin’s antioxidants likely explain some of its health benefits (15
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 (16Trusted Source). 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 (AGEs) (17Trusted Source). 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 (17Trusted Source). Cumin contains several components that reduce AGEs, at least in test-tube studies (18Trusted Source). While these studies tested the effects of concentrated cumin supplements, routinely using cumin as a seasoning may help control blood sugar in diabetes (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source). It is not yet clear what is responsible for these effects, or how much cumin is needed to cause benefits.
May improve cholesterol levels
May promote weight loss
Concentrated cumin supplements have helped promote weight loss in a few clinical studies. One study of 88 overweight women found that yogurt containing 3 grams of cumin promoted weight loss, compared to yogurt without it (23Trusted Source). Another study showed that participants who took 75 mg of cumin supplements every day lost 3 pounds (1.4 kg) more than those who took a placebo (21Trusted Source). A third clinical study looked at the effects of a concentrated cumin supplement in 78 adult men and women. Those who took the supplement lost 2.2 pounds (1 kg) more over eight weeks than those who did not (16Trusted Source).
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 (25). Several components of cumin reduce the growth of food-borne bacteria and certain kinds of infectious fungi (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source). When digested, cumin releases a component called megalomicin, which has antibiotic properties (8Trusted Source). Additionally, a test-tube study showed that cumin reduces the drug resistance of certain bacteria (28Trusted Source).
May help with drug dependance.
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 (29Trusted Source). However, much more research is needed to determine whether this effect would be useful in humans.
May fight inflammation
Test-tube studies have shown cumin extracts inhibit inflammation (31Trusted Source). There are several components of cumin that may have anti-inflammatory effects, but researchers don’t yet know which are most important (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source). Plant compounds in several spices have been shown to reduce levels of a key inflammation marker, NF-kappaB (32Trusted Source).
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