Some Like it Hot!

Some like it hot!

Hot read peppers spices may keep a lid on blood insulin levels, especially if you're overweight.

For four weeks, researchers fed 36 people either a bland (spice free) diet or the same diet plus 30 grams a day of a chili blend that was 55% cayenne chili.  The blend supplied a daily dose of 30 mg of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili.


Peak insulin levels were 38% lower in people who ate a chili-containing meal after four weeks on the chili diet than people who ate a bland meal month after month on the bland diet.  The chili diet had the most impact on those who were overweight.


Researchers speculate that chili may alter insulin receptors on the liver.


It's too early too know if cayenne can help keep blood insulin under wraps, but it's worth keeping this study in mind when you reach into your spice cabinet.