Most people realize by now that low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is the "bad" kind of cholesterol, but why is it bad? Arteriosclerosis – popularly called "hardening of the arteries" – is thought to result from the oxidation of LDL. It appears that LDL cholesterol combined with oxygen it is more likely to adhere to arterial walls.
The good news is that antioxidant foods appear to slow or prevent this process. A new Australian study on the effects of chile pepper (Capsicum spp., also sometimes called chili pepper) found that the rate of lipoprotein oxidation was 10.4 percent lower when the study's 27 adult subjects were consuming chiles regularly compared to when they ate no chiles.
Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chile peppers, has also been shown to inhibit bacterial growth, increase energy expenditure, and relieve skin allergies and neurological disorders when used topically. So if you love chile peppers, as I do, don't hold back – enjoy them on a regular basis.
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