About this time every year, I get fat. It's because of exams and Spring Fair. I scarf down anything fried or sweet, sample every vendor at the Fair, snack on Doritos and guzzle Red Bull, and predictably, I'm waddling soon after. This year, I plan to refine my typical spring bikini body from manatee to porpoise. I plan on doing this by eating more spices. I actually hate spicy food. The hottest I can tolerate at Chipotle is the corn salsa. Why will I put myself through this pain? Simple. Spicy foods have tons of health benefits.
Aside from burning my taste buds and encouraging blushes, spicy foods have significant health benefits. They're fantastic for staying slim, good cardiovascular health, clearing your sinuses, boosting your immune system and mental acuity.
The particular spicy foods that I'm talking about are those containing chili peppers or turmeric (a spice). Chili peppers get their spiciness from the compound capsaicin, which is responsible for producing that fiery sensation on your tongue. Many studies show that capsaicin boosts thermogenesis, or your body's production of heat, for several hours after consumption, which in turn helps increase your body's metabolic rate. A 1998 Japanese study showed that eating capsaicin (chili peppers) as an appetizer decreases the subsequent intake of protein and fat and decreases appetite for later meals. So far my new diet's looking good.
The next health perk I'm looking forward to is better cardiovascular health. Hand-in-hand with my spring tubbiness comes higher cholesterol. Chili peppers can change some of that (along with some running.) A 2005 Tasmanian study showed that eating chili peppers can increase the resistance of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to oxidation in the blood. Oxidizing LDL-cholesterol narrows your blood vessels by forming inflammatory plaques on the blood vessel walls - very bad. Chili peppers prevent LDL-cholesterol from oxidizing, lowering blood pressure and helping your blood to run smooth and clear.
That's not all. Spices also help clear up your sinuses. Anyone that's ever been sprayed with pepper spray knows that your congestion will only be a fond memory after a tiff with the spray, whose main ingredient is concentrated capsaicin. By increasing the metabolic rate and increasing blood flow, capsaicin will help clear your blood and drain your sinuses rapidly. I would recommend keeping some tissues nearby after trying a chili pepper.
Most recently, capsaicin-producing peppers are proving to be very promising in the cancer-kicking field. Scientists at the Nottingham University in the U.K. showed that vanilloids, a family of compounds including capsaicin, bind to proteins in cancer cell mitochondria and trigger apoptosis. When tested on human lung and pancreatic cancer cells, capsaicin can induce cell death, but doesn't have the same effect on a healthy cell. Although it's still being researched and is very far from clinical applications, capsaicin treatments look promising in the treatment of prostate and skin cancers, arthritis, psoriasis and muscle strain.
With all these fantastic health benefits, it's a wonder we don't drink pepper shakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately chili peppers and capsaicin have a bad rep, and studies on them are often in contradiction, leaving the average consumer confused. Some studies indicate that while capsaicin can help prevent certain cancers, it also quintuples your chances of stomach cancer if consumed in excess. Some doctors believe that consumption of spicy foods can lead to gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining, or acid reflux.
As usual, my recommendation is . . . moderation. Like alcohol, chocolate, estrogen and football, spicy food is best in moderation. Too much can lead to tummy pains, patchy tongues and damaged taste buds and too little could lead to a lack of culture. You certainly won't perish from lack of capsaicin, but you'd be missing out on a lot of prime scoff.
