While these findings are promising, it’s unclear how vanillin affects human health. According to some rodent studies, vanillin may benefit brain health and protect against neurodegenerative diseases ( 12, 13). Vanillin has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects in animal and test-tube studies ( 3, 10, 11). Some evidence suggests that vanillin may have anticancer properties, though research is limited to cell and animal studies ( 8, 9). Vanillin is known to have powerful antioxidant properties, though these effects have only been studied in test tubes and animals ( 6, 7). Research shows that vanillin has several benefits properties, including: Vanillin can also be derived from other foods like rice bran oil and clove oil ( 5). Synthetic vanillin is also produced in labs in China, France, and the United States ( 3, 4).
It’s the most researched component of vanilla. Vanillin is a phenolic plant compound found in vanilla extract and beans.