Preparing favorite dishes every day and spicing them with hot peppers, we do not even realize that capsaicin is responsible for this sometimes burning taste. It is an organic substance valued not only for its taste, but above all for its beneficial effects on our health.
Capsaicin is a chemical compound belonging to the group of alkaloids, odorless and with a characteristic orange color, which can be found primarily in different varieties of pepper, especially the hot ones. The degree of spiciness is determined by the SHU, Scoville’a scale, and the highest recorded is 16 million units, which practically excludes such pepper from being fit for consumption. Taste acts directly on receptors responsible for the sensation of pain, and depending on the degree of spiciness, it can be a mild or even unbearable burning sensation. In case of its overdose, do not rinse your mouth with water but drink a glass of fatty milk, which will certainly help. Of course, no one is forcing us to eat pure capsaicin, and in small amounts it has numerous healing properties, also allowing us to quickly shed excess weight.
Capsaicin – nutritional properties
Most capsaicin, which has beneficial influence on our body, can be found in chili peppers, popular additive to many dishes, known in kitchens practically all over the world. Their ground variety, known as cayenne pepper, is also produced for convenience. In its composition it contains a lot of valuable nutrients, such as:
vitamin C, in 100 grams of pepper more than 200 percent of the daily requirement;
Vitamin B6, 39 percent in 100 g;
vitamin A, more than in the same amount of, for example, carrots;
minerals: iron, potassium, zinc, selenium and magnesium.
However, before we introduce it permanently to our menu, we must remember about its reasonable consumption, in excess, regardless of the source, it is highly toxic, and may even lead to death, which occurs after the consumption of 56 to 512 g for each kilogram of body weight. We must also reckon with other side effects and in case of allergy to it, even a small amount can become the cause of disorders of the digestive system, vomiting, nausea, severe stomach pains and liver.
Capsaicin – health and slimming properties
Until recently, it was also claimed that eating it can cause many diseases, including stomach ulcers, but fortunately, specialists quickly debunked this myth and confirmed the benefits it brings to our health. Not only does it provide him with large amounts of the above-mentioned nutrients, but also helps in the treatment and prevention of many diseases, protecting against:
heart diseases and ofthe circulatory system, preventing the formation of dangerous blood clots, also reduces the level of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, regulates hypertension, while minimizing the risk of heart attack, atherosclerosis and strokes;
cancer, thanks to the high content of antioxidants that help fight cancer cells. It is highly effective against cancers of the colon, stomach, prostate, lungs and various types of skin cancer, including the most common melanoma, caused by excessive tanning;
migraine headaches, sinus pain and severe musculoskeletal, rheumatic and arthritic pain;
problems with the digestive system, as it treats certain inflammatory conditions of the intestines and prevents the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers; it also reduces the secretion of gastric acids, thus preventing troublesome hyperacidity;
Alzheimera disease, and the results of further studies conducted give hope to all patients suffering from it.
This substance has also been appreciated by nutritionists recommending it for weight loss. In various forms, such as natural pepper or in dietary supplements containing it, it should be in the diet of anyone who wants to quickly get rid of excess weight. Just 2.5 g of capsaicin consumed immediately before a meal effectively suppresses the appetite, as a result of which we eat much less, it also regulates metabolism. It has been found to have a beneficial effect on burning fat thanks to thermogenesis, the body’s natural process of producing heat in the adrenal glands, as a result of which we quickly get rid of excess calories; it also speeds up the digestion of carbohydrates.
Capsaicin – available in dietary supplements
Eating peppers in different forms every day may be healthy, but it can quickly get boring, so it is better to provide capsaicin in the form of dietary supplements that have it in their composition. In addition to it, they also contain many other valuable substances, whose action will contribute not only to improving our health, but also the desired weight loss. Quickly and effectively complement all other deficiencies in the daily diet, which usually we do not have time to compose properly, being satisfied with meals of low nutritional value. On the market in our country there are many such specifications with capsaicin, but two of them deserve special attention:
Silvets, a preparation in tablets, in which, in addition to pepper cayenne, we find such proven ingredients as berries acai, another valued slimming substance, guarana, a source of energy-giving caffeine, and green tea extract;
Garcinia Cambogia Actives, with Cambodian garcinia, one of the best appetite blockers, cayenne pepper, also green tea and green coffee.
Which capsaicin supplement we choose depends on our personal preferences, in both cases we can count on effective action, confirmed not only by specialists but also by numerous satisfied patients who give them positive feedback on internet forums.
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Piotr Kozłowski
My passion is everything that is related to a healthy lifestyle. I have been dealing with dietetics and related topics for almost 10 years and during that time I completed many professional courses in this field. This gave me a lot of knowledge, a solid basis for formulating the principles of healthy eating, which I first tried out on myself. I used to struggle with being overweight myself, and when various random diets had no effect, I decided to approach the subject professionally and finally managed to lose weight.
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