Chili peppers are wonderful flavor enhancers for any Southwestern dish, and they also provide a positive boost to a healthy diet. Many medicinal benefits have been attributed to chili peppers.
Capsaicin is the compound in chilies that imparts the distinctive spicy and burning sensation. Numerous studies have linked capsaicin to various health benefits, including lower blood pressure, diabetes and obesity prevention, pain relief, and possibly as an adjunct treatment for cancer.
The capsaicin in chili peppers has been used in Mexico for 7000 years for its anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties. It is most widely recognized as a remedy for pain. Capsaicin interacts with the TRPV1 receptor found in the brain, peripheral nerves, blood vessels, and bladder. This particular receptor is found throughout the body, so many potential therapeutic effects are still to be researched and discovered.
Capsaicin in a topical gel or cream is an effective treatment for joint and arthritis pain and may help relieve the pain of neuropathy. Capsaicin can inhibit Substance P — a neuropeptide in the brain that transmits pain signals. Substance P can cause swelling in nerve fibers, leading to skin pain and headaches. Capsaicin can both prevent and relieve migraines and cluster headaches.
Capsaicin is a strong anti-inflammatory agent and anticoagulant and these effects may decrease the risk of heart disease and strokes. Cultures such as those in Southeast Asia, India, and parts of South and Central America, in which the diets are rich in capsaicin, have a lower incidence of heart attacks, pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lung), and strokes.
Red chili peppers, such as cayenne, have been shown to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the clumping of platelets while increasing the body’s ability to dissolve fibrin, a sticky substance necessary for forming blood clots. However, individuals taking blood thinning medication should consult with their healthcare providers before using these substances.
Capsaicin also boosts the immune system with its high amounts of Vitamins A and C. Two teaspoons of red chili peppers have 10% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A and 6% of the Vitamin C we should consume every day. Vitamin A is a basic building block of healthy mucous membranes — the linings of the nose, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract — which are the body’s first line of defense against various bacteria and viruses.
Who has not noticed the effect that chili pepper has on the sinuses? The “heat” from the peppers stimulates secretions from the nose. This, in turn, can dislodge thick mucus and relieve congestion almost immediately.
Can chili pepper be a weight loss agent? Capsaicin is “thermogenic” — it increases metabolic activity in the body for about 20 minutes after being ingested. An additional 75 calories per meal may be burned due to the increased metabolism. A Taiwan study in 2007 showed that capsaicin inhibited the growth of fat cells in mice. Many over the counter diet supplements that claim to be “fat-burning” actually are capsaicin.
Of major interest to researchers and patients alike is the potential of chili peppers to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Regular consumption of chili peppers may reduce high blood levels of insulin seen in people with diabetes. Australian researchers from the School of Human Life Sciences at the University of Tasmania found that capsaicin in the diet lowered the amount of insulin needed to reduce blood sugar after a meal by as much as 24% when chilies are a regular part of the diet (studies including the capsaicin effects on C-Peptide were published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry).
Can eating chili peppers fight the spread of cancer? Dr. H Phillip Koeffler, professor of medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), led a research study that found capsaicin actually caused 80% of prostate cancer cells in mice to die. Prostate tumors treated with capsaicin were reduced to about one-fifth the size of the tumors in untreated mice. His study was published in the March 15, 2006, issue of Cancer Research and has been replicated, showing that capsaicin causes oxidative stress and apoptosis (a programmed cell death). A study published in Molecular Medicine Reports, February 2014 researched the effect on gastric cancers and “suggests that capsaicin may serve as an ant-tumorigenic agent (prevent tumor growth) in human gastric cancer.
There are hundreds of different edible chili peppers. The amount of capsaicin varies, ranging from those that set your mouth on fire to those that are very mild. The Scoville Heat Scale ranks the peppers from zero, such as bell peppers at the baseline, to pure capsaicin at 16 million Scoville units.
Most popular pepper varieties for cooking and snacking, such as ancho, cayenne, and jalapeño, range from about 10,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units, while the habanero pepper measures 350,000. An even hotter pepper, Bhut Jalokia (also known as Ghost Pepper), was tested in 2000 and measures 1,041,000 units (ouch!).
Biting into a “too hot” chili can be painful but the fire can be cooled off with some yogurt, a glass of milk or some bread. Add peppers, a few at a time, to your daily diet and reap the benefits.
Mia Smitt is a longtime nurse practitioner. She writes a regular column for Tucson Local Media.
