Spicy and hot foods, such as hot peppers, contribute to increasing longevity due to their ability to inhibit pain, according to an American study.
American scientists, from the University of California have discovered that the inhibition of the ability of the body to feel pain induced by consuming hot foods favors longevity – informs us dailymail.co.uk. The researchers have arrived to this conclusion after a series of experiments on mice, during which experiments the pain signals of the body were stopped from reaching the brain. As a result, the lifespan of the mice was prolonged. The animals didn’t produce the protein known as TRPV1 responsible for feeling pain, and as a result they had not only a life expectancy 14% longer than the average, but they also stayed healthier than expected. The occurrence of cancer was rarer in these mice, and their memory wasn’t as affected as usual as they got older.
At the same time, these animals burnt calories more efficiently, and their metabolism, including processing sugars in the blood stayed optimal even at an old age – this phenomenon also reduced the risk of developing diabetes, according to the study published in the magazine Cell.
Researcher Andrew Dillin of the University of California exclaimed that his team is convinced that blocking pain receptors can be extremely useful not only for soothing pain but also for promoting longevity and the health of the metabolism, especially to prevent diabetes and obesity. As a person becomes older, they are confronted with more and more physical pain for various reasons, and this phenomenon can speed up the process of aging.
Animals subjected to the experiment were genetically modified so they couldn’t produce the protein TRPV1. According to Professor Dillin, hot peppers contain capsaicin, a compound that inhibits the functioning of TRPV1. He explained that regular consumption of foods that have this effect may prevent metabolic decline associated with age, and it may favor longevity.
Many types of drugs commonly available in pharmacies today, including analgesics used to treat migraine, affect the functioning of the protein, and scientists are working on developing medication that can prevent the majority of diseases that develop as a result of aging.