Many baked products depend on spices to add zest and aroma appeal, but there is a danger here that everyone needs to know.

Baking and bread making have been found to be beneficial for our health, especially when it comes to kneading bread. Both have therapeutic effects, and the aroma of baked products in the home also adds to a sense of calm and stress relief. But in all of this, there may be an innocent introduction of a potentially dangerous space that all of us use frequently in baked goods—cinnamon. Why is cinnamon a potentially dangerous addition to our food and baked goods? The hidden danger in cinnamon is lead.

Lead is a metal that occurs naturally and is found in most foods. However, it can be harmful when consumed, particularly for young children and pregnant women. The CDC states that there is no known “safe” level for lead contamination.

In light of the recent reports on cinnamon’s potential heavy metal contamination, you may be asking whether it is safe to consume cinnamon or if you should just avoid it.

Concerned about the potential health risks, particularly for children, lead can damage the brain and other organs. This contamination is likely due to environmental factors like soil pollution where cinnamon trees are grown and processing equipment used to grind the spice.

In 2024, research found that several brands of ground cinnamon contained concerning levels of lead. The FDA and Consumer Reports issued warnings as a result. According to the FDA’s product testing results, the ground cinnamon items mentioned in their web table contain high levels of lead, which could be harmful if exposed to them for an extended period of time.

Customers should not purchase or use these ground cinnamon items, as the FDA has recalled them. The Food and Drug Administration has asked the companies to remove these items from sale voluntarily. As more information from companies that have voluntarily agreed to a recall becomes available, the FDA will update this warning accordingly.

Why Lead Is Dangerous

Should lead in food be a cause for concern, considering its natural presence in soil and other potential sources? Undoubtedly, lead is not good for us, even though we may have some of it in our bodies.

Lead exposure poses serious neurological risks to children and pregnant women, potentially causing developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems. On the other hand, adults are not immune to the side effects. Lead poisoning, for instance, has been associated with lowered immunity, infertility, kidney disease, and high blood pressure. But how does lead get into our bodies to cause these disturbing, damaging effects?

Lead is a dangerous metal that infiltrates our body by masquerading as essential minerals we need for healthy function. It primarily mimics two crucial elements — calcium and iron — which allows it to sneak into our bloodstream and organs undetected by our body’s natural defense systems.

When lead enters our bloodstream, it begins a destructive process that impacts multiple body systems. Our blood cells unwittingly transport lead throughout the body, reducing their capacity to carry essential iron. This often results in anemia, where the body can’t produce enough healthy red blood cells to function properly.

The most concerning damage occurs in our nervous system, particularly the brain. Lead interferes with normal brain function by disrupting the calcium-dependent communication between neurons. Like damaging the insulation on electrical wires, lead deteriorates the protective myelin sheath around nerve fibers, resulting in slower and confused signaling between brain cells.

Essential points about lead’s dangerous nature:
• Lead never breaks down in the body — it accumulates over time
• The body stores lead in bones, mistaking it for calcium
• Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure
• Even low-level exposure can cause permanent damage

What makes lead particularly dangerous is its ability to store in bones and release back into the bloodstream during times of stress or pregnancy. This means exposure can have effects long after the initial contact. The impact is especially severe in young children, whose developing bodies absorb lead more readily and whose growing brains are more susceptible to its toxic effects. This can result in long-term learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and developmental delays.

Lead mostly uses molecular mimicry to get into the body’s transport systems; it mainly does this by mimicking calcium and, to a lesser degree, iron. Approximately 95% of the lead that enters the bloodstream binds to a protein known as delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), which enables lead to adhere to red blood cells. The binding process enables lead to enter the bloodstream and attach itself to cells that are normally responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients.

In the blood-brain barrier, lead’s calcium mimicking is especially sneaky. Although this barrier often prevents toxic compounds from entering the brain, lead manages to fool the gateway proteins into thinking it is calcium. Think of lead like a saboteur in a factory—it doesn’t just block work from happening, it actively disrupts operations by pretending to be a worker while damaging the machinery. This is why even small amounts of lead exposure over time can cause serious health problems, affecting learning, behavior, and overall development.

The Regulation of Lead in Cinnamon

Cinnamon and other spices are subject to FDA regulation, while heavy metals like lead are not subject to any government limits.

The agency has the option to track lead levels in spices and notify the public when it detects an elevated level, either independently or in conjunction with a state. Heavy metal testing remains infrequent in the United States. Asking questions and demanding transparency on social media might help alleviate concerns about the brands you use on a regular basis. To double-check, the Clean Label Project is another resource.

Consumers, who should be concerned about healthy foods and additives, are advised to check all websites that note recalls, pollution of products or the presence of heavy metals in foods. This may not be a 100% solution to keeping yourself healthy, but it can add to your ability to know which ones to avoid and which ones may be questionable when you make purchases.

Also, remember to go to the FDA website that will periodically update product recalls and indicates the reason for the recall.