Jalapenos: Hot and Healthy

by

Vivica Fredericks

Many people who like spicy or hot food have heard of and possibly eaten jalapeno peppers. But not so many people realize exactly how much their health can benefit from eating these not-so-chilly chili peppers. From cardiovascular benefits, boosting the immune system, and even clearing congestion (although that one is probably no great surprise!), jalapenos are reputed to be beneficial in many more ways.

Recent studies have shown that the substance that makes peppers hot – capsaicin – can effectively cause prostate cancer cells to freeze in its non-proliferative phase, which basically means that the cancer cells literally commit suicide. When human cell lines were grown in mice there was a significant deceleration in the development of prostate tumors. So get eating those peppers guys! The same substance, capsaicin, is also used for the treatment of arthritis, muscle pain, and migraines, as well as being effective against leukemia. So they may give you a burning mouth, but the pain in your head may soon go away! Jalapenos have also been found to be effective when used as an appetite suppressant, which is good news for pepper lovers who are on a diet. The jalapeno pepper might bring tears to your eyes and blisters to your tongue, but the health benefits definitely outweigh the short-term discomfort that eating one can bring. If you are concerned about your heart and its health, then eating jalapenos regularly might help to allay your fears as they can help your body to reduce cholesterol, platelet aggregation, and triglycerides. It is a fact that certain cultures in the world that use hot peppers liberally have a significantly reduced rate of strokes and heart attacks. If you want to increase your vitamin C intake, and oranges are getting boring, eat chili peppers instead. If you are an unlucky sufferer of IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) then the results of a recent study have discovered that capsaicin could lead to a cure for it. Likewise, capsaicin helps to kill certain bacteria such as H. pylori, which can have the effect of preventing stomach ulcers. It certainly seems then, that far from just being a flavorful addition to your food, the jalapeno pepper is also a flavorful delight to your health. This is not so much a case of “the more the merrier”, it’s more a case of “the more the healthier”! So spice up your diet and you might just find that you’re spicing up your health and your life too.

Vivica Fredericks loves good food – both tasting it and writing about it. Online specialty food market

Fooducopia.com features her latest obsession, a jalapeno pepper relish

she’s been hiding from her husband.

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Jalapenos: Hot and Healthy