Helps blood
vessels to relax
Spicy hot
chili peppers have been linked to a number of possible health benefits ( for
instance helping with arthritis) - and now a new study from China suggests that
they could help lower high blood pressure.
Chillis
contain a chemical called capsaicin, which causes the familiar hot reaction in
our mouths. But it is now thought it may also help blood vessels relax, and
lower blood pressure. Study leader Zhiming Zhu said that a clue to the possible
beneficial effect of long-term chili consumption came from his own home region
of Chongqing in south-west China.
High blood
pressure rates in the Chongqing population are around 10 to 14 per cent
compared to the north east region where they are closer to 20 per cent. "People
in these regions [the south east] like to eat hot and spicy foods with a lot of
chili peppers," Dr Zhu said.
In his study,
rats suffering from high blood pressure were given a long term diet containing
capsaicin. The study found that capsaicin helped increase the production of
nitric oxide in the blood. The gas is known to protect blood vessels against
inflammation and dysfunction. This study isn't the first to look for a
molecular link between capsaicin and lower blood pressure. But earlier studies
were based on acute or short-term exposure to the chemical, with some
conflicting results.
Dr Zhu said
the study is the first to examine the effects of long-term treatment with
capsaicin in rats with high blood pressure. So far, there is no indication of
how chili peppers could help humans, or how much chili you would need to eat to
lower blood pressure. And if you
are one of those people who can't tolerate the effects of spicy foods such as
chili, there may be some hope - a milder Japanese pepper contains a compound
called capsinoid that is closely related to capsaicin. "Limited studies
show that these capsinoids produce effects similar to capsaicin," Dr Zhu
said. "I believe that some people can adopt this sweet pepper."
The study was
published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
The Family GP
The Family GP
No comments:
Post a Comment