Laal mirch may spice up your weight-loss diet

Integral to Indian cuisine,laal mirch has made its way into Hollywood stars' weight-loss diet.

Integral to Indian cuisine,cayenne pepper (laal mirch) has made its way into weight-loss diets popular among Hollywood stars. The diet consists of cayenne pepper,pure lemon juice,maple syrup and water through the day,the assumption being that pepper speeds up metabolism,promotes circulation and releases toxins from our bodies. The cocktail appears to be another version of spiced nimboo paani! Far from being a weight-loss solution,what prompts interest is the use of cayenne pepper.

Hot and pungent to taste,cayenne pepper has been used for 5,000 years in South and Central America as a culinary and medicinal herb and takes its name from Greek word meaning to bite. It has been well-known for its stimulating effects.

The chief constituent of cayenne pepper is capsaicin,which accounts for its hot taste. Chemically,capsaicin is an alkaloid,and an aromatic compound which has been historically used as a pain reliever,particularly to relieve chronic pain due to arthritis or shingles (painful rash like herpes). Apparently,it does this by upsetting the chemical balance inside sensory cells that relay pain messages to the brain.

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Besides this,it is traditionally known to be used to improve circulation,digestion,regulate blood pressure and lower cholesterol. It has been also found to have anti-inflammatory,antioxidant and some nutritional benefits as well. Some of these have been demonstrated in small scientific studies.

The anti-inflammatory benefits of red pepper come as a paradox,as according to conventional practice red pepper and spicy food is the first to be struck off the diet during inflammatory conditions of the digestive system like ulcers. Some studies report gastro-protective and anti-inflammatory benefits of red pepper.

A recent animal study done in 2010 in Mysore,India,reported gastrointestinal protective potential of dietary spices including red pepper.

Another recent animal study conducted in 2008 in Brazil found that capsaicin in red pepper rendered anti-inflammatory benefits.

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Researchers in 2005 in south-eastern part of Turkey were prompted to study these effects,as hot peppers are used abundantly in that region. The study done on 16 patients suffering from chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers concluded that capsaicin,even in small doses,had bactericidal properties and provides a useful alternative approach in the treatment of gastric and duodenum ulcers.

Interestingly,capsaicin seems to be helping weight watchers,too. A study,conducted in Tokyo in 1995 and published in Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology,found an increase in the energy expenditure immediately after a meal and concluded that red pepper diet increases carbohydrate oxidation until 2 ½ hours of eating.

Another study,conducted in 1999,found that addition of red pepper to the breakfast significantly decreased appetite and reduced calories,carbohydrate,fat and protein intakes in subsequent meals and snacks served several hours later.

Although these studies are preliminary and the effects are modest,a spicy weight-watchers diet may do more than titillate your tongue!

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Capsaicin,being a phyto-chemical (plant compound with antioxidant properties),also exhibits anti-oxidant properties. This makes it potentially useful in cancer prevention too. A 2010 animal study done in Korea suggested that red pepper reduces oxidative damage. The chemo-preventive benefits of cayenne pepper are associated with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of capsaicin.

Besides,a wide range of therapeutic benefits suggested that the latest to be investigated is its role in insulin metabolism.

Preliminary studies show that plasma glucose levels were significantly lower in those who consumed capsicum,making it potentially useful in the management of Type 2 diabetes.

Analysis of several studies shows that capsaicin or cayenne pepper may have several promising clinical implications in the management of wide-ranging conditions. Further,large-scale trials are needed to validate these findings. Meanwhile,whoever said a spicy palate is bad for health; yesterdays wisdom may turn out to be todays scientific breakthrough.