Spicy Food May Be Good for You

Spices have antioxidant properties, and now they’ve been studied in a small experiment in overweight men designed to test this property.  Researchers at Penn State University conducted the study, which had a cross-over design.  It’s been reported in the Journal of Nutrition.

Six healthy overweight men aged 30 to 65 ate a spiced and a non-spiced meal in random order, with one week between testing sessions.  The combination blend of spices, which was 14 grams, included turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika; it was added to a 1,200 calorie meal.  The control meal was similar, but without the addition of spices.  Blood samples were taken before and at 30-minute intervals for 3½ hours afterwards.

Plasma insulin and triglyceride levels were reduced 21% and 31%, respectively, after the spiced meal compare to the control meal levels.  Hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant activity – two accepted measures of an antioxidant effect – were significantly increased at all time points after the spiced meal.  Blood glucose levels were similar after both types of meal.

There are some problems with this study.  First, it was very small; only overweight men were included.  Second, it was partially supported by the McCormick Science Institute (McCormick is a major supplier of spices).  However, it should stimulate further studies to try to identify specific spices that might have beneficial metabolic effects.  For instance, cinnamon is known to suppress postprandial insulin levels, but other spices might have stronger action along these lines. While we wait for these results, we can enjoy eating spices without worrying they may be doing more harm than good.