ITV's Dr Amir Khan shares common spice to eat that reduces risk of heart disease

Spices aren't just useful for adding flavour to our favourite curry dishes - many come with a series of health benefits too.

It's hard to imagine how some can have such a significant impact on issues such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but thankfully full-time GP and best-selling author Dr Amir Khan is on hand to explain.

In his latest informative clip shared to TikTok, Dr Khan (@doctor.amirkhan) expressed the importance of one of his favourite spices – cinnamon. "The distinct smell and flavour are down to the oily part, which is very high in a compound called cinnamaldehyde," he began his video.

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The doctor continued, explaining that scientists believe this compound is responsible for most of cinnamon's powerful beneficial health effects. "Cinnamon contains large amounts of plant antioxidants, called polyphenols," he adds. "These protect our bodies from roaming free radicals, which can damage our DNA."

According to Nuffield Health, these free radicals are very unstable atoms which are missing some electrons that would otherwise stabilise them. "They are made when your body breaks down food or when you are exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation," the website adds.

"The build-up of free radicals over time is largely responsible for the ageing process and it is thought that free radicals may play a role in cancer, heart disease, and conditions like arthritis."

Dr Khan carried on: "It [cinnamon] can actually reduce inflammation within our bodies, and cinnamon has also been linked to reducing risk of heart disease." He added a review of 13 studies found the spice may reduce harmful fats, triglycerides and bring down total cholesterol levels.

"It has also been linked to lower blood pressure," the doctor enthused. "Cinnamon is well-known for its blood sugar lowering properties - it has been shown to decrease the amount of sugar that enters our bloodstream after a meal."

He explained it's likely due to its ability to slow down the breakdown of sugars in our gut and "mimic" the effects of insulin the more sugar is taken up into our cells and out of our blood. Dr Khan closed by recommending adding half a teaspoon of cinnamon to food we cook, as well as porridge and milk.

Scores of his TikTok followers responded, meanwhile, recommending Ceylon cinnamon in particular, which is backed up by advice from WebMd.

"Omg I love cinnamon on porridge with honey and I put loads of cinnamon in carrot cake," one excited TikTok user responded. "It's one of my favourite spices as well," gushed a second. "The aroma is unbelievably wonderful. Nice stuff."

While a third made their own suggestion: "Put some in your apple dishes, apple pie, apple crumble and apple sauce. You can also make a sweet apple sauce and add it to Greek yoghurt with some added chia seeds."