Pepper combat obesity

Pepper is probably the most used of all condiments. Eternal companion of salt on every table and almost every recipe, originally from India this spice has been used since ancient times. His popularity in the kitchen is due to the flavor and aroma that gives the food, but, although not all the guests know, this fruit also has many medicinal qualities.

To begin with, is an excellent ally of digestion. Just that this condiment touch the taste buds on our tongue to our brain sends a signal to our stomach must secrete acids that needed to digest food from the road. This early warning allows digestion faster and less troublesome food.

In addition, he is known to pepper the goodness to avoid the formation of intestinal gas and diuretic property.

As if that was not enough, pepper has another interesting property: it can prevent the absorption of fat.

In search of natural agents capable of contributing to the fight against obesity , a team of South Korean researchers decided to examine how the pepper can help fight against obesity.

The scientists, led by Soo-Jong Um, Sejong University, concentrated in the piperine, a substance that gives pepper flavor, but it is also the secret of this seasoning to prevent the accumulation of fat in the body.

How do you do? After several molecular studies, Soo-Jong Um and his colleagues found that piperine does interfere with the expression of several genes needed to create new fat cells, cells from fatty tissue where fat accumulates.

Obesity is when we eat more than what the body requires to function. Excess energy that accumulates in the body as fat and is in adipocytes, fat cells, where it accumulates these energy reserves.

When all the tanks are full, the body must create new ones.

This is a process which involves several chain genes to cause fat cells to differentiate and create new fat cells, but piperine inhibits the expression of some of these genes, avoiding the creation of new cells.

Based on their findings, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry , Soo-Jong Um confident that the pepper can help fight, naturally, obesity.

Perhaps in the near future there is a bar of piperine to help us avoid the accumulation of fat in the body. For now, remember to take a little spice to your meal.