If you’re looking for yet another reason to add hot peppers to mealtime, it seems both your health and your taste buds will thank you!
While by now you’ve probably heard that hot chili peppers are good for your health, additional research is now backing the theory that chili consumption can potentially help fend off major diseases.
Researchers say while chili peppers are relatively small in size, it seems they may have the ability to reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Capsaicin has been mentioned before. It’s found naturally in hot chili peppers and it’s what gives peppers their spicy heat. Simply put, peppers are ranked on the heat scale depending on capsaicin content. The higher the amount, the higher the ranking. The other thing mentioned by researchers is dihydrocapsaicin. It’s another active ingredient in peppers and together, the two are major members of the capsaicinoid family, and are the most irritant active compounds found in hot peppers.
Sometimes even things that are “irritating”, are good for you. Research suggests the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin found in hot peppers may help reduce the fatty deposits that build up on artery walls. This helps prevent blood clots. Blood clots and fatty deposits are linked to a person’s propensity for cardiovascular problems. Data published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that eating hot chilies at least four times every week can help reduce your risk of death from coronary heart disease by more than 40-percent.
As if that’s not enough, it’s also thought that hot peppers may help prevent Type 2 Diabetes. High blood sugar is one of the main issues that’s commonly associated with Type 2 Diabetes. That’s because there’s either not enough insulin, or the insulin that’s produced isn’t working correctly. A study found a connection between the insulation concentration and lower blood sugar after eating a meal containing hot chili peppers. That’s, of course, great news, and yet another reason to spice up your next meal.