Spice It Up!

Hey guys

Now that the weather’s heating up, I think it’s a good time to spice up your diet. A dash of ground chili pepper will not only add flavor to your meal but could also improve your health.

Used medicinally for thousands of years, chili peppers get their “heat” from a resinous and pungent substance called capsaicin. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Acting on the pain receptors and not tastes buds in our mouths, it is this substance that provides many of its health benefits, like:

• Reducing platelet stickiness and relieving chronic pain
• Decreasing blood cholesterol and triglycerides
• Improving digestion by stimulating the flow of stomach secretions and saliva
• Treating poor circulation
• Helping with sore throats, headaches and toothache
• Boosting immunity
• Soothing the digestive tract and reducing the risk of stomach ulcers

According to a report in The Washington Times, it even has the ability to drive prostate cancer cells to kills themselves. A team from the University of California at Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that capsaicin caused 80% of active prostate cancer cells growing in mice to “follow the molecular pathways leading to apoptosis,” or cell death — they literally committed suicide!

So, isn’t it time to spice things up!

Keep active, stay healthy and let’s get HOT this summer!

AlejandroQ.