TL;DR: Spices do a lot more than add flavour to a dish; many, such as cinnamon, turmeric, garlic and cayenne, have powerful health properties.
Introduction
Anyone who’s ever dieted before can probably tell you that it’s, well, a little boring sometimes. Microwaving that dry piece of chicken breast, served on top of that plain boring rice that you cooked during your meal prep 4 days ago is nothing short of depressing; enough to make almost anyone at least entertain the thought of cheating on their diet.
Fortunately, there’s an age old remedy to boring, healthy meals; something to add a blast of flavour to anything, from chicken to chickpeas. If you haven’t guessed by now, we are talking about spices.
Interestingly, spices do a whole lot more than adding a low calorie blast of flavour to your otherwise boring meal. Many of them actually boast some impressive, scientifically proven health benefits. In fact, many spices were actually used for medicinal purposes, long before they became commonly known as a culinary tool.
This article will go over the health benefits of some common spices.
Cinnamon
First on our list of healthy spices is cinnamon. Cinnamon is an extremely popular and celebrated spice throughout history, being considered by many ancient nations as a gift fit for monarchs and even deities [1]. This does not appear to be without good reason either, as cinnamon is packed full of incredible health benefits.
To start, cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants, like polyphenols [2]. Polyphenols have been thought to improve or help treat digestion issues, weight management difficulties, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular diseases [3]. A 2005 study, which compared 26 different types of spices found cinnamon to be the highest in terms of antioxidant activity [2].
Additionally, cinnamon has also been shown to reduce insulin resistance, showing many positive results when given to people with type 2 diabetes [2]
Furthermore, cinnamon is also shown to reduce blood sugar levels. Cinnamon has been shown to reduce the amount of glucose that enters your blood after a meal. It does this by interfering with numerous digestive enzymes, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract. A compound in cinnamon can also mimic insulin, which greatly improves glucose uptake in your cells. Studies on people with diabetes has shown that cinnamon is able to lower their fasting blood sugar levels by 10-29% [2].
Turmeric
Our next heavy hitting spice is turmeric. Turmeric contains a substance known as curcumin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, so powerful in fact that it has been shown to be as effective at treating inflammation as some anti-inflammatory medications, without all the side effects [4]. Reducing inflammation can help prevent and treat people with various common diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Curcumin also has been shown to play a role in memory. One study [5] performed on 50 adults who were given curcumin supplements over the course of 18 months showed increases in memory test scores. They also reported having better moods. This makes curcumin a good candidate for the treatment of people with alzheimers.
To make things even better, curcumin can technically be considered an antidepressant by boosting levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Lower levels of BDNF have been linked to depression. A study performed on 60 people found that curcumin was as effective at treating depression as Prozac, and best results were found when patients were given both Prozac and curcumin [4]
Garlic
Next up is the very popular, vampire repellent: Garlic. To start with, garlic is highly nutritious, having high levels of Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium, and fibre to name a few [6]
Garlic has also been shown to be effective at treating the common cold. A 12 week 2001 study [7] found that those who were given a daily garlic supplement were 63% less likely to get a cold than those who were given a placebo. Those who were given a garlic supplement who did end up coming down with a cold also had significantly shorter length of symptoms, at an average of 1.5 days, compared to 5 days of symptoms for those in the placebo group.
Furthermore, garlic has also been shown to reduce blood pressure. One study found that giving subjects 600–1,500 mg (approximately equivalent to four cloves) of aged garlic extract a day was just as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over a 24-week period [6]
Garlic supplementation also appears to lower LDL cholesterol by about 10–15% [6]. LDL cholesterol is known to clog your arteries, eventually leading to heart attacks and strokes
Cayenne Pepper
The active ingredient in cayenne peppers, which makes them so spicy, is called capsaicin. In numerous studies, capsaicin has been shown to reduce appetite and increase fat burning [8], making it effective for weight loss. The reason why this happens is not completely understood however one study [9] linked capsaicin to reduced ghrelin, the hunger inducing hormone. However, this effect was less prominent when given to people who regularly eat spicy food, which seems to indicate that a tolerance is eventually built.
Capsaicin also has been linked to the easement of various types of pain. This is due to it reducing the amount of Substance P, a neuropeptide that sends pain signals from the body to the brain [9]. Lower levels of Substance P mean less pain signals reaching the brain. When topically applied via a cream or oil, capsaicin is effective at treating nerve and joint pain. Additionally, capsaicin can be used to treat internal pain caused from ulcers, by preventing the growth of Helicobacter pylori, an ulcer causing bacteria.[5]
Additional Useful Spices
- Peppermint has been shown to reduce stomach pain as well as nausea
- Ginger can reduce nausea and has anti-inflammatory properties
- Rosemary can suppress allergic responses and prevent nasal congestion [8]
Conclusion
Spices do a whole lot more than just make your food taste good. Add cinnamon to control blood sugar, use tumeric to reduce inflammation, throw in some garlic to prevent colds and reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and add a bit of heat with cayenne to aid weight loss and reduce pain.
References:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon#History\
[2] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon#section2
[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/polyphenols-foods
[4] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section2
[5] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits
[6] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11697022
[8] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-healthy-herbs-and-spices#section6
[9] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper#section3
