Looking to spice up your meals—and your life? Adding a kick of chilli pepper to your food does more than just heat up your taste buds. From boosting your metabolism to elevating your mood, these fiery little peppers pack a punch of health benefits that might surprise you.
Whether you’re a fan of mild warmth or daringly hot flavours, there are plenty of reasons to sprinkle a little spice onto your plate. Ready to turn up the heat in your kitchen and unlock the perks of this powerhouse ingredient?
The HealthShots publication mentions that chilli peppers and chilli powder are often used to flavour foods and offer numerous health benefits. They are said to boost the immune system, with more vitamin C than oranges, reducing the duration of the common cold. “When it comes to preventing heart disease, spicy foods may be exactly what your body needs. Studies show that the capsaicin in hot peppers (which gives them their spicy taste) can reduce inflammation and decrease your chances of getting heart disease.”
The above source also mentions that chilli peppers stimulate weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing metabolism, helping burn off calories and that consuming chillies alone may not significantly change weight, but combining them with a doctor-approved weight loss plan may lead to quicker results.
According to Real Simple, spicy foods can help clear up idiopathic rhinitis by clearing up the sinuses. Capsaicin targets multiple cancer pathways, including preventing cell growth and survival, activating tumour-suppressing genes, and activating the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel, claims the mentioned source.
“A review published in Frontiers in Oncology found that the activation of TRPV1 beneficially impacted the inflammatory and immune responses involved in cancer treatment. A further study found capsaicin to even inhibit the growth of certain prostate cancer cells.”
Capsaicin, a natural pain reliever found in chilli peppers, supports healthy skin by improving blood flow and can boost mood by releasing endorphins from spicy foods like chilli peppers, which can reduce stress levels, states the Gardening publication.
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