5 Top Health Benefits of Chilies

Many people enjoy a hot curry or burrito from time to time and, if you are somebody who likes to push your taste buds and threshold to the limit, you will likely enjoy eating foods that are high in chilies.

Besides being tasty and producing a lot of heat, there are a fair few health benefits to consuming chilies regularly, which for some reason are not widely discussed in popular culture. This is not to say that if you dislike chilies you need to start eating them but rather, if you were a fan of them and people tell you that there is nothing good about this vegetable, it is well worth being knowledgeable on the health benefits.

So, here are 5 health benefits of eating chilies.

Lowers Blood Sugar

This is where it gets scientific!

The University of Tasmania has found that regularly consuming chilies can be beneficial to people who suffer from diabetes or are overweight. It found that the eating of chilies can control insulin levels after a meal. This is because the chilies reduce the body’s blood sugar level by 60%. While it is not understood how chilies reduce insulin levels, this is an interesting benefit of eating chilies. So, it may be worth contacting someone who sells wholesale fresh chillies if you are opening a restaurant aimed at healthy eating, or simply want to control your blood sugar levels a bit better!

Improves Circulation

Chilies have a dramatic impact on health, as they help to boost circulation, and eating as little as one meal per day that contains fresh chilies has been found to increase cardiovascular health. This could be because the chilies are simply making you feel hotter and thus act in a similar way that exercise does with your heart. But the reasons why they are beneficial to circulation have not been fully explored medically.

Thins Blood

Many people in today’s society take blood thinning agents such as warfarin and heparin to reduce the chances of blood clots, strokes or heart attacks.

Interestingly, hematologists have found that if you consume chilies daily, they can thin your blood naturally in a very similar way that garlic and onions do. While the exact amounts will vary from person to person, thinner blood is linked to a lower risk of having strokes and blood clots.

Reduces Inflammation

The active ingredient in chilies, capsaicin, is a neuropeptide that is associated with the inflammatory process positively. So, if you regularly consume chilies, you are naturally reducing your body’s inflammation markers, which can lead to a reduction in discomfort and better overall mobility. Chilies are a suitable addition to any diet that is looking to fight rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory conditions.

Clears Sinuses

If you suffer from sinus headaches regularly, then the consumption of chilies can help to clear these. This is because the chilies will cause your body to feel very warm and the mucous membranes will begin to emit secretions. This will drain the sinuses above your eyes and is 70 to 80% effective at reducing sinus headaches.