Many inspiring opinions have been expressed about the health benefits of black pepper – but how valid are such claims?
Modern science suggests that black pepper actually has health benefits, largely due to an alkaloid called piperine, which gives pepper its tangy flavor. In addition, piperine is an antioxidant.
Protection against free radicals. Antioxidants are molecules that destroy harmful substances known as free radicals. Unhealthy diet, excessive sun exposure, alcohol, smoking all increase the amount of free radicals in the body. Their excess, in turn, threatens with cell damage, accelerated aging processes, health problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma and diabetes.
Laboratory studies in animals and cells have shown that piperine counteracts these free radicals. One study in rats found that animals fed a high-fat diet supplemented with black pepper or piperine had significantly fewer markers of free radical damage compared to animals fed only a high-fat diet without added pepper.
Anti-inflammatory properties.Piperine has anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown in animal studies to reduce inflammation and pain in rats with arthritis.
Nutritional absorption.Black pepper helps the body better absorb certain beneficial compounds. For example, it increases the bioavailability of the antioxidant resveratrol. In addition, it may improve the absorption of curcumin (the active ingredient in the spice turmeric). There is also evidence that black pepper can improve the absorption of beta-carotene, a compound found in fruits and vegetables that the human body converts into vitamin A.
Piperine and cancer. Black pepper capable of exhibiting anticancer properties. Test-tube studies have shown that piperine reduces the reproduction of breast, prostate, and colon cancer cells and promotes apoptosis (death) of cancer cells. In addition, piperine has shown promise in trials in minimizing multidrug resistance in cancer cells, which reduces the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Most of the research has been done in cell cultures or animals, and the results of these kinds of experiments don’t always translate into humans. However, you can be sure that adding a few extra pinches of pepper to your food is unlikely to harm you, rather it can be beneficial. stroke.