[CH] Health Benefits of Chiles - Indian article
George Nelson (70431.3065@compuserve.com)
Sun, 27 Feb 2000 10:58:29 -0500
I read an article in the British
_Journal_of_the_Science_of_Food_and_Agriculture_ (1999 79:1733)
"Pro-or antioxygenic activity of tejpat (Cinnamomum tamala) and red chilli
(Capsicum annum) in sunflower oil" by A D Semwal, G K Sharma and S S Arya
at the Defence Food Research Laboratory in Mysore, India.
Among other findings they noted ground red chilli and an 80:20
water/ethanol fraction of an extract showed strong anti-oxygenic activity
in sunflower oil. The petroleum ether fraction was marginal and the water
fraction had no anti-oxygenic activity when added to sunflower oil.
Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin showed "considerable anti-oxygenic
activity."
The main concern of the article was to determine which ingredients used in
Indian cooking could be considered protective against oxygen for the foods
that contained them. If I recall, their study did not include any tests in
animals or humans of anti-oxygenic activity. One can speculate by
extension, though, that capsaicin and/or the 80:20 fraction has the same
antioxidant effect in the body, particularly in the lipid (fatty) system,
similar to vitamin E.
One of Doug in BC's or David's curries, or pepper vodka, anyone?
George