8 Health benefits of eating chilies: uses, side effects, interactions

Do you like spicy food? How many chilies can you eat each day? Have you ever asked whether chili actually has benefits or not? This is because chilies, aka chilies, are also a type of vegetable. Yes, it turns out that behind its small appearance and spicy taste that makes you addicted as well as grimace, chilies have many benefits. So, you can still eat chili-flavored foods while enjoying the benefits.

Chili is still in the same family as peppers and tomatoes. Most of these species are known by scientific names Capsicum annuum . There are several types of chilies that we usually encounter, namely cayenne pepper and jalapenos (green and red chilies). Then, what will we get from chilies?

Vitamin content in chilies

Even though the shape is not big, as the saying goes 'small chili peppers', it turns out that chilies have various kinds of vitamins and minerals, such as:

• High vitamin C content. Vitamin C functions as a good antioxidant to strengthen the body's immunity.
• Vitamin B6 found in chilies has an important role in the body's metabolism.
• Vitamin K6 affects blood clotting and bone and kidney health.
• Potassium can reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Copper is a residual element of antioxidants that has a function for healthy neurons and strong bones.
• Beta carotene is found in red chilies, and when it enters the body, beta carotene is converted into vitamin A.
• Chili is very high in antioxidant caratenoids, so it is very useful for various kinds of health.
• Capsanthin is the most important type of caratenoids in red chilies and is found to be more than 50 percent of the total caratenoids that are useful for fighting cancer.
• Violaxanthin is the most common antioxidant caratenoids found in yellow chilies (yellow chilies are rare in Indonesia.
• The lutein found in green chilies can affect eye health. Try to eat green chilies that are not yet ripe, because lutein is found in abundance, the more it is ripe, the ripeness level will decrease.
• Capsaicin functions to provide a feeling of heat, is thought to provide various health effects for the body, it can also treat various diseases such as nerve fiber disorders, pain due to arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy.
• Synaptic aid is an antioxidant, as well as an anticancer.
• Ferulic acid is an antioxidant that works to prevent chronic disease.

Various benefits of chilies for health

After seeing the many ingredients, now you should know the benefits of chilies:

1. Pain relievers

The release of endorphins stimulated by chilies can act as a natural pain reliever. In addition, endorphins can also make a person addicted. The following pains that can be relieved by chilies are herpes zoster, bursitis, diabetic neuropathy and muscle spasms in the shoulder, as well as rheumatism. Capsaicin in chilies works with pain receptors, the sensation of a hot feeling can make nerve endings stop sending signals of pain sensations.

2. Weight loss

Capsaicin believed to be able to reduce calorie intake. Research shows 10 grams of red chilies can increase fat burning in women and men. Indeed, not all studies have found this method effective, some have even found that this method does not work at all.

3. Detoxification

Chili can help gastrointestinal detox in digesting food, and get rid of substances that are not used by the body. Besides that, it is also able to increase the supply of nutrients to the body's tissues.

4. Cardiovascular health

Cayenne pepper can reduce cholesterol in the blood and triglyceride levels. Research cited by WHFood (The World's Healthiest Foods) shows that 27 participants consisting of 14 women and 13 men), eating chilies for 4 weeks, were divided into two groups, one group eating a diet with chilies, the other. does not involve chillies. The results proved that the group that ate chilies had lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in both men and women.

5. Prevent ulcers in the stomach

People assume that eating chilies can cause stomach ulcers, but it turns out that chilies help kill any bacteria that you might ingest and stimulate the cells lining the stomach to secrete substances that protect the stomach.

6. Prevent heart disease

The content of vitamin B6 and folic acid found in chilies, as well as potassium and beta carotene, can prevent you from heart attacks. B vitamins can also reduce homocysteine ​​levels; High levels of homocysteine ​​can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

7. Prevent the risk of colon cancer

Vitamin C is very influential in increasing the body's immune system. The cartonoid lycopene, beta carotene and folic acid in red chilies can reduce the risk of colon cancer. Folic acid is very useful for a healthy body metabolism.

8. Smooth breathing

Chili can help dilate the airways in the lungs, thereby reducing asthma. Vitamin A in chilies can reduce pneumonia caused by smoking, because cigarette smoke contains benzopyrene which destroys vitamin A in the body.