We consume salt in our meals everyday. It is an essential flavour enhancer but sometimes we consume a bit too much of it. It is this excessive salt intake that has many health practitioners concerned for our health.
High salt intake is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular ill-health and previous research has also shown us that a high salt diet makes us hungrier.
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Nowadays most countries have a high salt diet and it is difficult to establish a strategy to reduce high salt intake at such a large population level.
As a result, researchers from the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China examined the role of spicy food and its effect on salt consumption based on a previous research which showed that trace amounts of capsaicin – the element which gives chilli peppers its pungent smell – enhanced the perception of food being salty.
The study included 606 Chinese adults whose preference for salty and spicy food was determined at the onset.
Researchers then linked those preferences to blood pressure and found that compared to those who least enjoyed spicy food, people with a preference for spicy food had 8 mm Hg lower systolic (upper) and 5mm Hg lower diastolic (bottom) blood pressure numbers. They also consumed less salt than participants whose preference for spicy food was low.
The researchers also used imaging techniques to monitor two regions of the participants’ brain known as the insula and orbitofrontal cortex region. These areas of the brain get stimulated by salty taste.
The researchers found that areas activated by salt and spice overlapped and spice increased further brain activity in the areas activated by salt.
Researchers believe that this increased activity makes people more sensitive to salt which makes them enjoy food even with less salt.
A few spices in your cooking will add the flavours needed to make your meal taste great without using much salt.
A gradual increase in spices can benefit you in many ways including helping you reduce your salt intake.
So spice it up!
Source: Hypertension
