Red hot pepper is a panacea for health and well-being: but
walking and eating less are also a guarantee of longevity. The confirmation,
this time, comes from a study published in Nature Communications , focusing mainly on diet and calorie
restriction. In fact, according to the research, eating less helps macaques to
live longer and in
good health.
The study involved two research groups: the team from the
University of Wisconsin and researchers from the National Institute of Aging ,
who long ago were on different positions regarding the calorie restriction /
longevity link. Today, however, the two groups of researchers have joined
forces and have established that calorie restriction really seems to have an
effect on aging, but especially if it is adults and the elderly who undertake
the diet, rather than younger subjects.
But to live long, eating less is not enough. Another study,
published in Brain, Behavior and
Immunity , reveals that it only takes 20 minutes of exercise a day to stimulate
the immune system and ensure an anti-inflammatory effect. The brain and the
sympathetic nervous system are in fact activated during physical exercise;
hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline are released and activate the
adrenergic receptors of the immune cells.
In short, a good walk, lasting only 20 minutes, can ensure
an anti-inflammatory effect, and consequently a longer and disease-free life.
Yet another research has established today that there is a "magical"
element, capable of guaranteeing a long life to those who take it. The study,
published in PLoS ONE , ensures that spicy eating is associated with lower
mortality. The reduction is even 13% and is due to a lower impact of
cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
The study is founded on a huge database: in fact, as many as
16,000 Americans followed for 23 years were analyzed. The beneficial effect of
chilli, say the authors, is probably due to capsaicin , which is thought to be
able to prevent obesity and modulate coronary blood flow, as well as having
antimicrobial properties. According to Mustafa Chopan, one of the authors of
the study, the results should lead to recommending the pepper in anyone's diet.
Analyzing the data, the number of deaths and the ca uses of
death of all these people, the scientists create that those who consumed the
pepper had a risk of mortality that was about 13% lower than the others.
"Although the mechanism by which the consumption of chillies could delay
mortality is far from certain," said the researchers, "the observed
relationship could be due to the action of the Transient receptor potential
(Trp) channels , which represent the primary receptors for spicy substances,
such as capsaicin, the main component of chilli ".
