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                      Spicy Foods Can Help You Live Longer

                      Published by Dr. Mark Rosenberg

                      spicy chili sauce, ketchup

                      Do you enjoy hot and spicy Indian, Thai, Mexican or Creole foods? Yes? Well, you’ll be happy to know there’s a new healthy reason to eat more of them. Recent research shows that people who regularly eat hot, spicy foods have a lower risk of getting major diseases. Let me tell you why…

                      A recent study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) revealed that people who ate hot, spicy foods regularly (at least twice per week) had a 10% lower risk of death. Those who ate these foods every day, increased their longevity by 14%. Why?

                      Well, hot, spicy foods such as those in Indian, Thai, Mexican, Creole and other cultures, frequently make use of fresh and dried chili peppers like cayenne, jalapeno, habanero that give them that hot kick. Chili peppers are full of the spice capsaicin, and its cousin dihydrocapsiate (DCT) in milder peppers. Peppers are also high in Vitamin C and A, as well as other beneficial phytonutrients and minerals. The spice black pepper (piperine) also has similar nutrient qualities.

                      Capsaicin, DCT and black pepper (piperine) have been found in many research studies to have the following health benefits:

                      • Decreases muscular and joint pain
                      • Helps allergies
                      • Burns fat faster – up to 100 calories more per day
                      • Dilate blood vessels for greater blood flow
                      • Lowers bad LDL cholesterol without affecting good HDL cholesterol
                      • Breaks up fatty deposits along blood vessel walls
                      • Opens congested airways, lung passages, helps asthma
                      • Antioxidant that fights free radicals
                      • Helps lower blood sugar levels
                      • Antibacterial
                      • Fight inflammation throughout your body
                      • Good fiber content

                      Peppers also contain good levels of Vitamin C and Vitamin A and phytonutrients, which are powerful antioxidants that fight disease at the cellular level.

                      ThinkstockPhotos-490378751Black pepper is also a powerful antioxidant high in plant polyphenols that are research proven to fight cancer and diabetes. In addition, black pepper (piperine) breaks up sugar/protein bound molecules (glycation) which promote aging and degenerative changes of diabetes. Suppressing glycation molecules also help you live longer and healthier. A recent study out of St. Louis University in Missouri found that black pepper showed significant anti-colon cancer properties.

                      The researchers of the BMJ study were out of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. They looked at 487,375 participants ages 30-79 for a period of over 7 years. They found that those who ate the highest amount of hot, spicy foods per week had much lower associations with cancer, heart and respiratory disease and diabetes. The benefits were slightly higher for women, and in those who had lower consumption of weekly alcohol.

                      The researchers cautioned that their results were observational. They recommended that more studies be done to develop a list of functional foods that could help fight disease and increase longevity.

                      In other similar studies, capsaicin was found to be a significant ally in fighting obesity and type 2 diabetes. One study, out of the University of Adelaide in Australia, revealed that capsaicin decreases food intake and actually triggers certain receptors in the stomach that signal fullness.

                      Put More Peppers In Your Diet

                      You might be thinking, so what if I don’t like hot, spicy foods so much? Well, you can still get the benefits of capsaicin via supplements. But, before you give up on adding fresh chili, or other peppers, to your diet, you might want to try preparing them in a way that can make them more palatable. Here are some things you can do:

                       

                      1. Try Bell peppers.

                      ThinkstockPhotos-481451937

                      Bell peppers aren’t as loaded with capsaicin as their hotter cousins, chili, peppers, etc. Red peppers are more concentrated in nutrients than green and yellow peppers as they have been left on the vine longer. They also have 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more Vitamin C. Plus their taste is a little sweeter, less biting than green and yellow peppers.

                      2. Roasted jalapeno peppers:

                      ThinkstockPhotos-485602218

                      It may help you to know that all hot peppers don’t have the same intensity. The smallest peppers are usually the hottest. So, if you’re new to eating hot peppers, you might want to start with a jalapeno, rather than a habanero, etc. When handling them, be careful not to rub pepper juice up around your eyes or near skin abrasions to avoid stinging.

                      Clean peppers first in cold water to remove any pesticides, dirt, and take some of the sting out of the pepper and protect your skin. Remove stems. The seeds of the pepper pack a lot of their heat, so if you remove some of them, it will decrease the hotness, but you’ll also be decreasing their capsaicin content. Cut in half and drizzle with olive oil, a little honey and a little cinnamon. The cinnamon and honey (or stevia, don’t use table sugar) adds a little sweetness that cools down the heat. The fat from the olive oil also takes some of the burn out. Roast until soft, brown, but don’t blacken.

                      3. Add Black Pepper.

                      ThinkstockPhotos-469858939

                      Black pepper is much less hot than capsaicin but the piperine compound in it has many of the same health benefits of capsaicin. Add it to frequently to vegetables, meats, fish, salads, etc. One hundred grams (about 1/2 cup) of black pepper has a high ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) level of over 34,050. You would likely never eat 1/2 cup of black pepper per day, but spread out over a week, 2 meals a day, you could feasibly add this much to your diet. You can even find a black pepper extract supplement to take in pill form for added benefit.

                      If you’re new to eating hot, spicy foods, start slow and get used to the heat before jumping in full force. But as many research studies have shown, even just adding hot, spicy foods a few times a week offers some amazing health benefits.

                      Share
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg received his doctorate from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1988 and has been involved with drug research since 1991. With numerous certifications in several different fields of medicine, psychology, healthy aging and fitness, Dr. Rosenberg has a wide breadth of experience in both the public and private sector with particular expertise in both the mechanism of cancer treatment failure and in treating obesity. He currently is researching new compounds to treat cancer and obesity, including receiving approval status for an investigational new drug that works with chemotherapy and a patent pending for an oral appetite suppressant. He is currently President of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Program Director of the Integrative Cancer Fellowship, and Chief Medical Officer of Rose Pharmaceuticals. His work has been published in various trade and academic journals. In addition to his many medical certifications, he also personally committed to physical fitness and is a certified physical fitness trainer.

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                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

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