What U Ate
Do you like to challenge the chef at your local African restaurant to make your meal as hot as possible? Does the experience feel incomplete if the food doesn't send streams of sweat flowing down your face?
Your friends may poke fun, but you can tell them you're doing it for your health.
There are plenty of benefits to eating spicy foods, including the possibility of a longer life, albeit just a little bit.
But like so many other things, spicy food has good and bad sides. For most people, the good will outweigh the bad.
Do you like to challenge the chef at your local African restaurant to make your meal as hot as possible? Does the experience feel incomplete if the food doesn't send streams of sweat flowing down your face?
Your friends may poke fun, but you can tell them you're doing it for your health.
There are plenty of benefits to eating spicy foods, including the possibility of a longer life, albeit just a little bit.
But like so many other things, spicy food has good and bad sides. For most people, the good will outweigh the bad.
The Good Side of it
- A longevity boost: a study in
2015 that included over half a million Chinese found that people who
consumed spicy foods — that is, scorching — foods six times a week reduced
their risk of death by 14 percent during the course of the seven-year
study. Consuming fiery foods just two days a week lowered the risk by 10
percent, compared to people who ate milder fare.
- Weight loss:
Studies have shown that hot peppers can help curb appetite and speed
metabolism. In a 2011 study, researchers from Purdue University found
people felt more satiated after eating spicy foods. An earlier study
found that people consumed less fat after eating high amounts of hot
peppers. There's probably also an effect on metabolism, says Dr. Gregory
Thorkelson, an assistant professor in the departments of psychiatry and
gastroenterology at the University of Pittsburgh. "That's why you Lfeel
hot after you eat spicy food," he adds. "And there is some data to show
that capsaicin [the ingredient that produces the scorched feeling in
your mouth] can increase the ability to burn calories." Another
possibility is that the fire in your mouth slows food consumption, says
Dana Hunnes, a senior dietitian and professor at the Fielding School of
Public Health at UCLA. "If you eat more slowly, you're more likely to
notice your body's satiety cues."
- Pain relief:
Capsaicin has been shown to spark the release of the body's own opioids
— endorphins, Thorkelson says, although much of the data on this comes
from topical administration of the chemical rather than oral
consumption.
- Anti-inflammatory effects:
There is data to suggest that capsaicin might help with autoimmune
conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, Thorkelson says, adding that
these types of illnesses are less common in countries where a lot of
spicy food is consumed.
- Antimicrobial effects:
Studies show that capsaicin has antibacterial effects, and possibly
also to a lesser degree, antifungal effects, Thorkelson says. This is
why hot peppers have been used as a food preservative, Hunnes says.
Originally taken from www.today.com
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