By Carrie Gann
Mar 27, 2012 5:00pm
Some people can’t get enough of the painful pleasure of spicy foods.
Now, new research on hamsters suggests that those who like it hot may get some
added heart-health benefits from capsaicinoids, the compounds that give chili
peppers from jalepenos to habaneros their kick.
Scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied how
capsaicinoids — capsaicin and its chemical relatives — affected the blood
vessels of hamsters. Researchers fed hamsters diets high in cholesterol, and
spiced up the food for some groups of the animals with varying levels of
capsaicinoids.
The hamsters fed any capsaicinoids had lower levels of cholesterol in
their blood, particularly LDL or “bad” cholesterol. They also had decreased
plaque in their arteries compared with the hamsters that got no capsaicinoids.
The findings were presented today at a meeting of the American Chemical
Society in San Diego.
Zhen-Yu Chen, a professor of food and nutritional science at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong and one of the study’s authors, said the
findings give scientists a better idea of just how spicy foods might work to
improve heart health in humans.
“But we certainly do not recommend that people start consuming chilies
to an excess,” Chen said in a press release. “They may be a nice supplement,
however, for people who find the hot flavor pleasant.”
Scientists have been hot on the trail of capsaicin’s potential health
benefits in recent years. The compound is currently used as an effective remedy
for pain associated with arthritis, neuropathy and psoriasis. Dr. Paul Bosland,
co-founder and director of New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper
Institute, told ABC News that capsaicin works against pain by prompting the
body to produce endorphins.
“The endorphins work to block the heat. The body produces them in
response to the heat, which it senses as pain,” Bosland said.
Some studies have also suggested that capsaicin may help prevent
prostate cancer.
Spicy foods may even improve metabolism. A 2011 study found that foods
flavored with spices like turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, rosemary, oregano and
garlic powder lowered insulin and triglyceride levels after a meal in
overweight but healthy male volunteers.
More work is needed on the connection between spicy compounds and
cardiac health, but for now, some researchers say, that burn in your mouth
should make you feel good.
ABC News’ Kim Carollo contributed to this report.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/03/27/spicy-compound-may-boost-heart-health/
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