Spicy Solution: Chilli may help control B.P.

Suffering from Hypertension? Gorge on a spicy diet rich in hot chilli peppers, for a new study claims that it can help control your high blood pressure.
Researchers in China have found that the active ingredient which gives the peppers their heat—a compound known as capsaicin--- also relaxes the blood vessel, the Daily mail reported.
For the study, the researchers at the Third Military Medical University in China fed hypertensive rats a diet rich in capsaicin, which is found in chilli peppers. They found that diet reduced the rate blood pressure over time.
The ingredient works activating a receptor channel found in the lining of blood vessels. This leads to a rise in production of nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect blood vessels against inflammation and dysfunction.
The study is not the first to look for a molecular link between capsaicin and lower blood pressure but earlier studies were based on acute or short-term exposure to the chemical, rather than long term treatment with capsaicin on rats with high blood pressure.
However, the researchers said further studies would be needed to see how many chillis would need to be eaten each day to have a positive impact on humans. Zhu says that’s a question that should now be examined in greater detail.
The findings in rats should be confirmed in humans through epidemiological analysis, the researchers said.
Professor Zhiming Zhu, who led the study said hypertension affected more than 20% of people in north-eastern China compared to 10 to 14% in southwestern China where the residents eat hot and spicy foods with lot of chilli peppers. The study has been published in the Cell Metabolism Journal.
For those who can’t tolerate spicy food, there might still be hope, Eating hot, spicy food may not be necessary to gain the benefits of chillis because similar compounds are present in sweet peppers. There is, for instance, a mild Japanese pepper, which contains a compound called capsinoid that is closely related to capsaicin.
“Limited studies show that these capsinoids produce effects similar to capsaicin. I believe that some people can adopt this sweet pepper” Zhu said.

From--- “The Times of India”.

By--- Manoj Kumar Jha “Pralayankar”