According to a recent study, eating foods that can cause a burning tongue aka spicy foods, can help lower blood pressure. This is very helpful for people who have high blood pressure.
"Hypertension affects more than 20 percent of people in China's north-east compared to 10 to 14 percent in China's south-west, where many residents there who eat spicy foods and hot," explained Professor Zhiming Zhu, who led the study, as reported from Dailymail , Thursday (05/08/2010).
Researchers from Third Military Medical University, China, found the active ingredient in hot chili pepper flavor, which is a compound called capsaicin, can help relax blood vessels. Relax blood vessels that make normal blood pressure or decreased for people with high blood pressure.
Capsaicin is a chemical derived from natural vegetable oils. This material is used by the defense system of chili for himself to avoid being eaten by predators such as animals.
The compound works by activating the capsaicin receptor channels found in the lining of blood vessels. This causes increased production of nitric oxide, a gas molecule that is known to protect from inflammation and vascular dysfunction.
Further research is needed to see how many peppers that need to be eaten every day in order to have a positive impact on the human body, particularly those related to blood pressure.
The results of this study have been published in the journal Cell Metabolism, August edition.[detik.com]
