Norway Warned To Lay Off The Cinnamon

People in Norway might be consuming way too much cinnamon, health officials say, especially during the holidays, when cinnamon rolls and spiced cookies are so popular. So Norway's Food Standards Authority has issued a sternly worded warning to everyone in Norway to lay off the cinnamon a bit this season.

According to The Local, the issue is that cinnamon contains an aromatic substance called coumarin, which is part of why cinnamon smells so delicious but can also cause liver damage in sufficiently large quantities. Those quantities could conceivably be reached during the cinnamon-laden holiday season in Norway, the FSA says.

"Heavy users of cinnamon should limit their intake," the FSA said in a press release. "The tolerable daily intake (TDI) of cinnamon is estimated at 1.4 ounces. This may have consequences for Bergen's 'skillingsboller' or Danish cinnamon rolls."

Children are particularly vulnerable, because they are smaller and a little coumarin goes a longer way with them, and they also tend to have a taste for Holiday buns and sweets.

"It makes sense to be a little bit more careful about the cinnamon intake of young children," said Atle Wold, the head of the FSA's consumer section. "They like to eat more porridge than others, and since their bodies are small, they also tolerate less than adults."