What Are the Health Benefits of Green Chili?

Green chili is the fruit of the Capsicum Frutescens flowering plant of the species Capsicum annuum.

It is a staple of the Indian and South American cuisine, and its strong pungent heat can easily make our face red.

However, besides their use in the kitchen, green chilies are full of medical and health benefits. We present you just ten of them.

Green Chili Health Benefits
1. Prevent Cancer

They are packed with antioxidants which prevent free radicals from damaging our body. Green chilies slow down the aging process and boost our natural immunity to cancer.

2. Digestive Health

The dietary fiber in green chilies help in colon cleansing and healthy bowel movement. This fiber prevents constipation by stimulating the movement of material through the digestive system.

3. Eye Health

Green chilies contain vitamin A which significantly improves the eyesight.

4. Fight Inflammation

According to a new study, hot chilies lower the risk of cancer, thanks to the capsaicin which is part of the green chilies’ content. Capsaicin helps prevent prostate cancer, and slows down the growth of leukemia cells.

5. Packed with Iron

Green chilies contain high amounts of iron which helps improve our hemoglobin levels. This in turn improves the oxygen supply to the cells throughout our body, and it’s especially helpful in cases of anemia.

6. Healhty Skin

Vitamin E is essential for the production of specific natural skin oils, and green chilies are packed with it. Eating spicy food can indeed give you beautiful and healthy skin.

7. Packed with Minerals

Green chilies are rich in numerous minerals, including iron, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Our body uses manganese as a co-factor for the superoxide dismutas enzyme. Potassium on the other hand is important part of cell and body fluids which helps control our heart rate and blood pressure.

8. Boost the Immune System

It is known that vitamin C boosts our natural immunity to various illnesses, and green chilies are an excellent vitamin C source.

9. Weight Loss

Chilies improve the metabolism in our body, helping us to burn the few excess pounds.

10. Improve Mood

Chilies increase the production of endorphin hormone, thus improving our mood. So, if you ever feel happy after eating some green chilies, you’ll know your great mood is not a coincidence.

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Study Reveals Mixing Ginger And Chili Creates A Powerful Anti-Cancer Combination

Ginger and chili not only add spice and flavor to your favorite dish — they may also help you ward off cancer. A recent study has found that the popular spices have properties that significantly reduce mice’s chances of developing lung cancer due to their ability to bind to a receptor that is also responsible for tumor growth.

According to a study now published in the online Journal of Agricultural And Food Chemistry, capsaicin, a compound in chili peppers, and 6-gingerol, a component in ginger, could work together to lower the risk of cancer, possibly because 6-gingergol binds to capsaicin to form a super-strong compound that inhibits key tumor-growing receptors, The Daily Mail reported.

For the study, the researchers fed mice prone to lung cancer either capsaicin or 6- gingerol alone, or in combination with one another over the course of several weeks. During the study period, all of the mice that received only capsaicin developed lung tumors, while only half of the mice fed 6-gingerol did. However, only 20 percent of the mice that received a combination of both went on to develop cancer.

Two Powerful Spices You Need In Your Diet

1. Ginger

While ginger and chili may have cancer-kicking abilities together, on their own, the two spices are also impressively powerful. For example, ginger contains chromium, magnesium, and zinc, which help to maintain healthy and normal blood flow. In addition, The American Pregnancy Association recommends consuming ginger in different forms, such as tea or jam, to help curb morning nausea brought on by pregnancy, and Columbia University researchers say that ginger, paired with bronchodilating medications, maybe help to relax the smooth muscle surrounding airways.

2. Chili

As for chili, capsaicin, the same compound that gives chili peppers their hot flavor, also inhibits a brain pain transmitter which can help to reduce headaches and prevent inflammation. In addition, Chili pepper contains 108 percent of the vitamin C daily requirements per tablespoon, which can help to improve the immune system.

Here are a few recipes to help you include ginger and chili in your diet:

-Mango Ginger Salad
-Lentil & Bean Chili (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
-Ginger Chicken Wraps


source: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com

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This One Food Prevents The Number One Cause of Death And Even Extends Lifespan

The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically and their several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids kill cancer cells and may even extend lifespan.

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least 7500 BC. The most recent research shows that chili peppers were domesticated more than 6000 years ago in Mexico, and were one of the first self-pollinating crops cultivated in Mexico, Central and parts of South America.

India is now the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of chili peppers.

Red chilies contain large amounts of vitamin C and small amounts of carotene (provitamin A). Yellow and especially green chilies (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, peppers are a good source of most B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular.

They are very high in potassium, magnesium, and iron. Their very high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such as beans and grains.

Past research suggested that spicing food with chilies can lower blood pressure in people with that condition, reduce blood cholesterol and ease the tendency for dangerous blood clots to form.

Researchers in Korea recently published evidence that suggests the mechanisms behind why capsaicin may aid weight loss.

Spicing up your daily diet with some red pepper can also curb appetite, especially for those who don’t normally eat the popular spice, according to research from Purdue University.

The component that gives jalapeno peppers their heat may also kill prostate cancer cells.

Scientists have also reported that chili peppers are a heart-healthy food with potential to protect against the No. 1 cause of death in the developed world.

Treatment of the tumour-prone mice with capsaicin has now been shown to reduce tumour burden and extended the lifespans of the mice by over 30%. “This may be translated to humans to a certain extent but further research will be necessary to quantify gene expression,” said Dr. Henry Peterson commenting on the study.

Research published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, said the active ingredient produced chronic activation of a receptor, TRPV1, on cells lining the intestines of mice genetically modified to be TRPV1-deficient, which in turn triggered the reaction.

“Our data also suggested that TRPV1 triggering by dietary administration of capsaicin suppressed intestinal tumourigenesis,” the researchers said.

As a result they recommended the administration of TRPV1 agonists like capsaicin in combination with celecoxib, a COX-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that treats some forms of arthritis and pain.

Intestinal expression

The receptor or ion channel TRPV1 was originally discovered in sensory neurons, where it acts as a guard against heat, acidity and chemicals in the environment. This latest research found that the receptor was also expressed by intestinal epithelial cells.

The scientists discovered that TRPV1 works as a tumor suppressor in the intestines through a “feedback loop” with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), reducing the risk of unwanted growth.

Dr Petrus de Jong, one of the study’s authors, said: “A basic level of EGFR activity is required to maintain the normal cell turnover in the gut. However, if EGFR signaling is left unrestrained, the risk of sporadic tumor development increases.”

Professor Eyal Raz, another of the study’s authors, said: “Our data suggest that individuals at high risk of developing recurrent intestinal tumors may benefit from chronic TRPV1 activation.”

“We have provided proof-of-principle.”


source: preventdisease

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