Did you know that a single culinary serving of curry can open your arteries within the hour, cancelling out the vascular damage of the very meal it seasons?
180KHU (180,000 Heat Units) cayenne tincture will keep arteries open as well. Still, the reasons they become closed is never addressed and it sure isn't excess cholesterol causing the problem.
My daughter recently traveled to Morocco where a friend of hers (a local) took her to the spice market. She brought back a treasure trove of spices for me including saffron and ras el hanoute (my favorite !) which is made with 35 spices. I feel like I won the lottery! I’ll be using them more liberally now…
One of the things I find most interesting about nutrition is that food is rarely just fuel. It's information. Molecules don't simply provide calories. They initiate signaling cascades, alter gene expression, reshape the microbiome, and influence the body's adaptive responses. Perhaps the healthiest diet isn't one that avoids every stressor, but one that introduces the right kinds of biological challenges at the right intensity, allowing the organism to become more coherent rather than merely more comfortable.
I was excited to read this piece! Unfortunately, it seems to omit some important caveats, according to a cursory analysis assisted by Claude.
1. Conflict of interest: the first two authors of Nakamaya et al.'s "landmark trial" worked at House Foods Corporation, Japan's dominant manufacturer of curry roux. Nearly every confirming trial is spice industry funded. The Huang paper was "supported by a gift from McCormick Science Institute" (this McCormick: https://www.mccormick.com/). The Penn State trials appear on the McCormick Science Institute research page (although I didn't find explicit evidence that they received funding).
2. A large contradictory study from Petersen's team was omitted. They ran a follow-up 71-person randomised controlled study and found no difference in responses between meals of different spice levels.
It seems that we are re-learning what we as humanity have forgotten whether through Inattention or misdirection by others. Spices viewed as Treasure for our bodies, that our ancestors knew well… thanks for the science to back up what are ancestors valued. ✨💖🙏💖✨
Spicy food is a great example of how a simple dietary habit can intersect with surprisingly complex biology. Capsaicin, the compound responsible for the sensation of heat, interacts with TRPV1 receptors and has been studied in relation to metabolism, vascular function, inflammation, and sensory signaling.
As a physician-scientist, I think the most interesting question is how much of the observed benefit comes from capsaicin itself versus the broader dietary patterns of people who regularly consume spicy foods. Observational studies can identify intriguing associations, but they cannot always separate the effect of one food from the many lifestyle and cultural factors that accompany it.
That said, the broader lesson is encouraging: healthy eating does not have to mean bland or restrictive. If spicy foods are enjoyable and well tolerated, incorporating them into a predominantly whole-food dietary pattern may be a simple way to make healthy eating both more flavorful and potentially beneficial. Sometimes the most sustainable interventions are the ones that improve both health and pleasure.
Within the Chinese medicine framework all the flavors have their particular uses and energetic directionalities. We separate the spicy category into three distinct subgroups: pungent, acrid, and hot/spicy. They share certain features AND each have unique signatures.
As a general rule they associate to the Lung and Large Intestine systems, are considered yang-warming (though this can vary); have an Upward & outward (dispersing) signature; Moves qi & blood, stimulates circulation, promotes sweating and helps clear colds/flu's, clears mucus, aids digestion, etc. and are best for people who are sluggish, lethargic, have damp/mucus conditions and/or cold signs
Good to know, about using coconut oil in white rice, which I simply love too much to switch to brown. I've also recently heard that refrigerating cooked white rice "turns regular starch into resistant starch, which lowers blood sugar spikes, feeds good gut bacteria, and slightly reduces absorbable calories." [google]. I haven't actually tried it yet but am told that if the rice is reheated using trapped steam, there's a good chance it will return to its fluffy state. AI says to put an ice cube on it and microwave it; I myself haven't used a m/w for decades, due to the possiblity of the molecular structure of the food (as well as water) being changed into who-knows-what. So I'd want to try re-steaming it. If that doesn't work, there's the possiblity of using it for fried rice: high heat with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil is said to re-separate the rice; then add desired fixings.
PS Boy was I relieved to find out "spicy" in this case didn't mean "capsaicin -laden!" I'm a two-star-heat person myself, which translates into "you can barely detect some heat!"
Thank you for the wonderful article. I say this, "No spice, No Life. Have some spice in life"
180KHU (180,000 Heat Units) cayenne tincture will keep arteries open as well. Still, the reasons they become closed is never addressed and it sure isn't excess cholesterol causing the problem.
It's a wonderful herb and my top favorite. Not everyone can consume cayenne pepper though as it's depleting and too intense for weakened people
I use 35K cayenne, about 3 grams per day, taken in capsules. Is 35K less potent than 180K?
My daughter recently traveled to Morocco where a friend of hers (a local) took her to the spice market. She brought back a treasure trove of spices for me including saffron and ras el hanoute (my favorite !) which is made with 35 spices. I feel like I won the lottery! I’ll be using them more liberally now…
i love currry!!!!!!
One of the things I find most interesting about nutrition is that food is rarely just fuel. It's information. Molecules don't simply provide calories. They initiate signaling cascades, alter gene expression, reshape the microbiome, and influence the body's adaptive responses. Perhaps the healthiest diet isn't one that avoids every stressor, but one that introduces the right kinds of biological challenges at the right intensity, allowing the organism to become more coherent rather than merely more comfortable.
I was excited to read this piece! Unfortunately, it seems to omit some important caveats, according to a cursory analysis assisted by Claude.
1. Conflict of interest: the first two authors of Nakamaya et al.'s "landmark trial" worked at House Foods Corporation, Japan's dominant manufacturer of curry roux. Nearly every confirming trial is spice industry funded. The Huang paper was "supported by a gift from McCormick Science Institute" (this McCormick: https://www.mccormick.com/). The Penn State trials appear on the McCormick Science Institute research page (although I didn't find explicit evidence that they received funding).
2. A large contradictory study from Petersen's team was omitted. They ran a follow-up 71-person randomised controlled study and found no difference in responses between meals of different spice levels.
These seem like important things to flag.
It seems that we are re-learning what we as humanity have forgotten whether through Inattention or misdirection by others. Spices viewed as Treasure for our bodies, that our ancestors knew well… thanks for the science to back up what are ancestors valued. ✨💖🙏💖✨
Spicy food is a great example of how a simple dietary habit can intersect with surprisingly complex biology. Capsaicin, the compound responsible for the sensation of heat, interacts with TRPV1 receptors and has been studied in relation to metabolism, vascular function, inflammation, and sensory signaling.
As a physician-scientist, I think the most interesting question is how much of the observed benefit comes from capsaicin itself versus the broader dietary patterns of people who regularly consume spicy foods. Observational studies can identify intriguing associations, but they cannot always separate the effect of one food from the many lifestyle and cultural factors that accompany it.
That said, the broader lesson is encouraging: healthy eating does not have to mean bland or restrictive. If spicy foods are enjoyable and well tolerated, incorporating them into a predominantly whole-food dietary pattern may be a simple way to make healthy eating both more flavorful and potentially beneficial. Sometimes the most sustainable interventions are the ones that improve both health and pleasure.
Thank you!
Brilliant information 👏
Within the Chinese medicine framework all the flavors have their particular uses and energetic directionalities. We separate the spicy category into three distinct subgroups: pungent, acrid, and hot/spicy. They share certain features AND each have unique signatures.
As a general rule they associate to the Lung and Large Intestine systems, are considered yang-warming (though this can vary); have an Upward & outward (dispersing) signature; Moves qi & blood, stimulates circulation, promotes sweating and helps clear colds/flu's, clears mucus, aids digestion, etc. and are best for people who are sluggish, lethargic, have damp/mucus conditions and/or cold signs
Pungent: Strong odor, irritates mucous membranes, causes discharge, promotes sweating, stimulates glands, disperses energy (eg, onion, garlic, allium family)
Acrid: Lighter, less irritating, often refreshing; Moves qi gently, often cooling, relieves stagnation
(eg, Peppermint, parsley, oregano)
Hot/Spicy: Burning, intense heat; Strongly moves fluids, draws out yin-fluids, counter-irritant
(eg, Cayenne, hot peppers, Sichuan food)
Many foods and spices have multiple effects but the above are the generalizations.
Good to know, about using coconut oil in white rice, which I simply love too much to switch to brown. I've also recently heard that refrigerating cooked white rice "turns regular starch into resistant starch, which lowers blood sugar spikes, feeds good gut bacteria, and slightly reduces absorbable calories." [google]. I haven't actually tried it yet but am told that if the rice is reheated using trapped steam, there's a good chance it will return to its fluffy state. AI says to put an ice cube on it and microwave it; I myself haven't used a m/w for decades, due to the possiblity of the molecular structure of the food (as well as water) being changed into who-knows-what. So I'd want to try re-steaming it. If that doesn't work, there's the possiblity of using it for fried rice: high heat with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil is said to re-separate the rice; then add desired fixings.
PS Boy was I relieved to find out "spicy" in this case didn't mean "capsaicin -laden!" I'm a two-star-heat person myself, which translates into "you can barely detect some heat!"
There’s an old jingle my Mom used to sing all the time in the kitchen. “Learn to use your spices and you’ll be a better cook.”
Very informational. As a new beginner what recommendations would you suggest? Books, You Tube or other reliable sources? Thank you for sharing.😍
Great to know how healthy my preference for heavy spicing is! I've also taken lots of criticism for it! Helped me get used to it I think! Lol
Thank you!
interesting read, thanks Sayer