April 11, 2018
Spicy food has become much more popular over the years, especially in the UK. Spicy food is relatively new to the UK palette; go back a mere 50 – 60 years and you will struggle to find many spicy dishes that people in Great Britain eat regularly. Fast forward to 2018 and you are much more likely to find spicier dishes on UK tables.
There’s a good reason to be indulging in spicy foods. The spicy chemical, known as capsaicin, as well as other compounds in chillies, can actually help improve health in a number of ways:
Capsaicin has been shown to activate cells in the intestinal lining that creates a reaction lessening the risk of tumours developing. In scientific tests on tumours, capsaicin reduced tumours and extended lifespans of the test subjects. Researchers believed that the compound switches off an over-reactive receptor that could trigger tumour growth.
Capsaicin has shown positive improvements in curing cancer because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown to suppress the growth of human prostate cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.
Capsaicin has been effective against a whole host of other types of cancer, including breast cancer, pancreatic and bladder cancer, but it required large amounts – unrealistically large amounts to eat – to get such benefits.
Those who eat spicy food 2-3 times a week show a noticeable increase in life expectancy compared to those who eat no spicy food. The Antioxidants and anti-inflammatories within chillies are the biggest benefactor of improved everyday health.
Spicy foods are great at increasing satiety: the feeling of being full whilst eating less. The hot food also helps increase your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. Capsaicin has also been shown to help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue and lowering blood fat levels by triggering beneficial protein changes in your body.
Royal Nawaab’s halal restaurant Manchester has a great selection of spicy dishes for you to choose from.
