A consumer shopping for a cinnamon supplement should consider the quality of the supplements, the cinnamon dose in each supplement, and the cost of the supplements. Dietary supplements are not regulated as strictly as conventional drugs, and it is important to verify both the quality and the purity of any dietary supplement, including a cinnamon supplement. It is also important to choose supplements that deliver an appropriate dose of cinnamon, which cannot be accurately determined simply from the size of the supplements. Price is also a factor and should serve, at the very least, to break ties between different brands of supplements.
An ideal cinnamon supplement is verifiably safe and pure. In other words, it should contain the advertised dose of cinnamon in each supplement, and the cinnamon and other ingredients should be certifiably non-toxic. Additionally, a supplement should not contain dangerous levels of contaminants. Some consumers may also wish to distinguish between the several different common varieties of cinnamon, which come from different but related plants and have somewhat different chemical properties.
Some governments regulate the content of dietary supplements. In other cases, however, these supplements are unregulated or regulated less strictly, and governmental oversight guarantees at most that a supplement is safe from contamination. It is best, when shopping for a cinnamon supplement, to choose a brand that has been tested by a neutral rating agency. Such agencies evaluate both the safety and the purity of supplements, and the seal of a reliable agency is the best guarantee of supplement quality that is available in most markets.
Anyone shopping for a cinnamon supplement should carefully evaluate the dosage that he or she wishes to take. Cinnamon can be dangerous in large quantities, especially for patients with heart trouble. The amount of cinnamon in a supplement does not directly correspond to the simple volume of the supplement, but most supplements will list the quantity of the active ingredient in each dose. Cinnamon oil should be treated with particular caution, as many versions are very concentrated, and a fairly small dose could prove dangerous.
The final point of consideration for anyone looking to purchase a cinnamon supplement is price. Purity, safety, and dosage should be checked first. Once these have been guaranteed, the supplement with the lowest price should be chosen. Consumers who have used a cinnamon supplement program for some time may wish to save money and purchase in bulk. Cinnamon, like any substance, will breakdown over time, and supplements should not be used after their recommended use dates.
