Purpose:
Cinnamon extract, which is the result of extraction from the bark of the genus Cinnamomum, belonging to the Lauraceae family, which grows in several continents, such as Asia, Australia, and America (South America), has made researchers enthusiastic to apply it as an athlete supplement. The purpose of this study was to examine whether 6-week daily consumption of cinnamon extract would affect anaerobic performance and reduce creatine kinase activity in badminton athletes.

Methods:
Overall, 30 male badminton athletes (aged 19–21 years) were enrolled and recruited into the study; 15 participants were randomly assigned to the cinnamon group and the other group was a placebo group. Both groups underwent pre- and post-supplementation tests, which covered anaerobic capacity (20-m sprint test) and physical fitness (vertical jump, agility T-test, and sit-ups). A 5-minute rest was applied between the tests. Blood serum was analysed with the use of a chemistry auto-analyser (Cobas Mira S, USA) with the kinetic method to measure creatine kinase activity before and after the tests.

Results:
For the post-test creatine kinase activity, the results showed a significant main effect for group (p = 0.022) and time (p = 0.018) and significant time × group interactions (p = 0.013). The T-test revealed a significant two-way interaction for time × group (p = 0.007). Additionally, there was a significant main effect for group (p = 0.025) and time (p = 0.003).

Conclusions:
We demonstrated that cinnamon extract could reduce creatine kinase activity and improve agility T-test performance in badminton athletes.