Good news for spice lovers, at the expense of salt. Eating too much salt is bad for heart health, as it causes hypertension and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes. To avoid this, doctors usually recommend limiting the use of salt in our dishes, although the amount of salt in our everyday diet remains a controversial topic, given that even those who consume too little salt run the risk of increasing the likelihood of developing heart disease. How can we manage our taste for savory flavors?
A group of researchers from the Third Military University of Chongqing (China) investigated the possibility of reducing salt in our daily diet, by replacing it with spices. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Hypertension (October 2017).
CHILI PEPPER HELPS KEEP BLOOD PRESSURE UNDER CONTROL
The survey involved over 600 adults of Chinese nationality, who were initially asked whether they preferred salty or spicy dishes, after which their blood pressure would be checked. It turned out that participants who didn’t consume spicy dishes ate an average of 13.4 grams of salt per day. Whilst subjects who chose spicy foods reduced the amount of salt consumed to 10.3 grams per day. Furthermore, for spice lovers, systolic blood pressure was 8 mmHg lower than for those who, on the other hand, preferred salty foods over spicy ones. The same goes for diastolic blood pressure, which was 5 mmHg lower for spice users.
Researchers investigated whether increased awareness of salty foods could reduce salt intake in daily diets, finding that a taste for spicy flavors is an effective solution for reducing salt intake in daily diets and, consequently, keeping blood pressure under control, regardless of the type and amount of food. Specifically, it would be up to capsaicin, a substance that gives the spicy flavor to chili pepper and other spices, to amplify the sensation of salty taste in foods.
THE BRAIN AREAS STIMULATED BY SALT AND SPICES ARE THE SAME
Furthermore, through imaging techniques, researchers investigated the brain areas involved in the mechanisms that regulate the perception of salty tastes (insula and orbito-frontal cortex), discovering that they are the same ones activated by spicy tastes. Furthermore, spices amplify the brain activity of those same areas stimulated by salt. Therefore, eating spicy foods can be an excellent trick to consume less salt, since it increases its gustatory perception.
In light of these results, experts advise those who enjoy it to eat spicy food every day; whilst to those who cannot tolerate chili peppers, they suggest choosing other spices. In any case, further studies are needed to understand which is the best spice to add to food, in order to reduce salt consumption and/or lower blood pressure. It may also be useful to conduct scientific research on population samples that are larger and belong to other ethnic groups.
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