Can eating chili peppers extend your life? Spicy food lovers, please take note →

Do you like spicy food?

Is it the word "spicy"?

Flashes in my mind

The appearance of chili pepper, bell pepper and green pepper

The taste of chili peppers is always irresistible

The one I love hiss ...

Those who are afraid are restless and avoid it.

Why do I get stomach upset after eating spicy food?

As someone who loves spicy food, do you understand what “spicy” means?

Don’t be impatient, let’s talk about chili peppers today!

01 Why are peppers spicy?

The reason why peppers are spicy is that they contain more than ten kinds of spicy substances, among which capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are the main sources of pepper's spiciness.

When people eat spicy food, capsaicin stimulates the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a mixed nerve. In the human head, its branches are distributed in the eyes, upper jaw and lower jaw. Among them, the density of trigeminal nerve fibers is very high in the oral cavity, especially on the tip of the tongue, which makes the tip of the tongue very sensitive to spicy taste.

When the trigeminal nerve is stimulated by spicy food, it transmits signals to the brain, which analyzes it and produces a mixture of heat and pain. Therefore, after eating chili peppers, you usually feel a dull burning pain.

Image source: Pixabay

02 Why do I get stomach upset after eating spicy food?

Many people probably have this experience: eating spicy food feels good for a while, but diarrhea the next day is inevitable. This is actually related to capsaicin.

Chili peppers contain a large amount of capsaicin, a strong irritant. It is an alkaloid containing vanillamide that can bind to the vanilloid receptor subtype of sensory neurons.

Since the VR1 receptor transmits a burning sensation after activation (it is also activated when it is stimulated by heat), when you eat chili peppers, you feel a burning sensation.

This burning sensation gives the brain a false idea that the body is injured and starts releasing the body's own painkillers, endorphins.

So it can make people feel euphoric, the more they eat, the better they feel, and the more they want to eat.

If you eat too much spicy food, the gastrointestinal tract will speed up the peristalsis, and the peristalsis will become irregular, which will cause the stool to stay in the intestine for a shorter time. There will not be enough time to absorb water, and ultimately the stool will not be able to form. This is how diarrhea comes.

Some people not only get upset after eating chili peppers, but also feel uncomfortable when they poop the next day...

Image source: Pixabay

There is no doubt that it is capsaicin that is causing the problem. Not only does it stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, it also stimulates the anus before leaving the body.

However, this kind of pain, which is like applying a layer of chili pepper on your butt, is not very harmful to your body except for being a little uncomfortable. So don't worry, generally speaking, the spiciness will pass.

03 Can eating chili peppers prolong one’s life?

A study published by a research team from the Cleveland Clinic in the United States in Circulation, a top international cardiovascular journal, showed that:

Eating chili peppers can significantly reduce all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer-related mortality. Compared with those who eat less or no chili peppers, people who eat chili peppers regularly have a 26% lower cardiovascular disease mortality rate, a 23% lower cancer mortality rate, and a 25% lower total mortality rate caused by various diseases.

What does this mean? That is, eating spicy food may significantly reduce the risk of death and prolong people's lifespan.

Image source: Pixabay

Why can peppers have such an effect? ​​Many previous studies have shown that capsaicin contained in peppers has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, blood sugar regulating and even anti-cancer effects on the human body. The main principle is that a large amount of capsaicin attaches to the cell membrane, causing the cell membrane to rupture, thereby killing cancer cells.

However, in this study, regarding deaths caused by cardiovascular disease or cancer, the researchers said that the exact reasons and mechanisms by which eating chili peppers reduces the risk of death are still unclear, and more research is needed to confirm this.

04 How to eat chili peppers healthily?

Although we cannot say for sure that eating chili peppers can prolong people's lifespan, there is still evidence that eating spicy food can reduce disease mortality. Chili peppers are rich in vitamins and carotene, and have strong antioxidant effects, which can help maintain human health and improve vision. Eating spicy food appropriately can also increase appetite and promote digestion, but there are some precautions when eating chili peppers:

1. Eat fresh peppers

There are many types of chili peppers, such as dried chili peppers, fresh chili peppers, and pickled chili peppers. Experts recommend that it is better to eat fresh chili peppers because they contain more nutrients and have more obvious benefits for cardiovascular health.

2. Eat with cool foods

Chili peppers are spicy and hot in nature and can easily cause internal heat, so when eating chili peppers, you can pair them with cool and spicy foods to achieve the effect of clearing heat and removing internal heat, such as duck meat, bitter gourd, lotus root, lettuce and other foods.

3. Drink more soup with whole grains

When eating chili peppers, it is best to choose coarse grains as the staple food. The rich dietary fiber can help prevent constipation. At the same time, pay attention to drinking more soup to replenish water in time, promote salivation and moisturize dryness, relieve spiciness and clear away heat.

4. Eat cooked peppers

Although eating raw peppers is good for cardiovascular health, the large amount of capsaicin in raw peppers can irritate the oral mucosa and gastrointestinal mucosa and cause discomfort. For people with poor gastrointestinal function, it is recommended to heat them before eating, which will reduce the irritation.

Finally, the editor suggests that our gastrointestinal function becomes weaker with age, which leads to our lower tolerance to spicy food. Although chili is good, it must be consumed in moderation!

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

Source: This article is compiled from Science Popularization China, WeDoctor Health, Tencent Medical Dictionary, and Phoenix Healthcare

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