Statin users who take cinnamon supplements may be putting themselves at risk, according to a new report.
The case study, published in the
American Journal of Case Reports, involved a 73-year-old woman who developed the liver condition hepatitis just one week after she added cinnamon supplements to her high-dose statin medication,
Live Science reports.
The woman’s doctors said the herbal remedy combined with the high dose of statins induced her hepatitis. They noted liver damage is a possible side effect of taking statins, and it appears that coumarin, a substance found in cinnamon supplements, can also harm the liver, the researchers said.
The case appears to be the first report of a person experiencing a toxic effect from cinnamon supplements and statins.
The doctors concluded: “a combination of cinnamon supplement and statin can cause hepatitis, and it should be discouraged."
Daniel Brancheau, M.D., of Providence Hospital and Medical Center in Southfield, Michigan, added: "There were no other medications the patient was taking that could cause the extent of liver damage, except the cinnamon supplements."