Hot pepper compounds could help your heart, study says
Posted March 28, 2012 10:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Chinese researchers suggest hot peppers can be good for your heart.
Their study focused on the peppers’ fiery ingredient capsaicin and its family of substances called capsaicinoids.
Researchers found that capsaicin and a close chemical relative boost heart health by lowering cholesterol levels.
They also block a gene that makes the muscles around blood vessels contract.
By blocking this action, the muscles can relax and more blood can flow through the arteries.
The research was presented on Tuesday at a American Chemical Society meeting in San Diego, Calif., and it’s on the society’s website.