Cayenne Pepper: Nutrition Facts and 7 Impressive Health Benefits:

Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) is used to flavor dishes in many cuisines. It belongs to the nightshade family of Solanaceae. It is also known as chili pepper and red pepper and is available all year-round. The combination of nutrients makes cayenne pepper widely popular. Does uncanny cayenne have some health benefits? Well, the answer lies in the text below.

This spice originally belongs to the American region. It got its name from the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, Interesting enough, people have been using it for food decoration as well. But later on, they learned about its unimaginable health benefits and started wedding the magical spice to their cuisines. Portuguese and Spanish brought it to the Indian subcontinent, where it gained massive popularity.

Immature cayenne pepper is green in color and is known as hot pepper too. The slender cayenne fruits are one of the commercial crops of China, Pakistan, and India. The hot and fiery taste of cayenne pepper is due to the presence of capsaicin and capsorubin. However, the brilliant shine is due to capsaicin. The pepper contains 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) which is an average quantity for Indian cuisine, but perhaps slightly high for an Australian one. Without further delay, let’s check out the nutrients of Cayenne pepper.

Nutrition facts of Cayenne pepper:

Hot and pungent pepper is a spicy ingredient to add in daily dishes. Cayenne pepper is an excellent source of nutrients, which you’ll soon find out. According to the USDA database, 100g of raw Cayenne pepper contains 318KCal of energy, 56.63g carbohydrates, 12.01g protein, 17.27g total fat, 27.2g dietary fiber, and no cholesterol. As far as minerals are concerned, cayenne pepper contains 148mg calcium, 7.80mg Iron, 293mg Phosphorus, 152mg Magnesium, 2mg manganese, 8.8mcg Selenium, 2.48mg Zinc, and 0.373mg copper. Cayenne pepper is a rich source of Vitamins. It contains 106mcg folate, 8.701mg Niacin, 0.328mg Thiamin, 2.450mg Pyridoxine, 41610IU vitamin A, 76.4mg Vitamin C, 29.83mg Vitamin E, and 80.3mg Vitamin K. Lastly, pepper contains 3.26g total saturated fatty acids, 2.75g monounsaturated fatty acids, and 8.37g polyunsaturated fatty acids. Goot shocked by learning the nutrition fact? Now, let’s learn the health benefits of cayenne pepper to confirm its medicinal importance.

Health benefits of Cayenne Pepper:

The marvelous combination of nutrients gives medicinal importance to cayenne pepper. It not only makes the heart-healthy, but also promotes digestive health. Here we are going to discuss the health benefits of cayenne pepper.

Boost Metabolism:

Almost every person is worried about metabolism, isn’t it? Capsaicin, an alkaloid compound boosts metabolic reactions in our body. It also increases the thermogenesis process of the body. Thermogenesis increases the metabolic activity of the body almost by 20%. Thus, it aids in burning more calories. Studies have shown that eating capsaicin rich food helps to burn 51% more calories than those who didn’t intake it.

Regulate Blood Pressure:

High blood pressure is a common disease among people nowadays. About 40% of the population is suffering from blood pressure above the age of 25. Don’t worry, we’re here with this amazing chili to help you out. 100g of Cayenne pepper contains 2014mg Potassium. Potassium helps to smooth blood flow in the body. In addition to potassium, Capsaicin also lowers the cholesterol level of the body. Moreover, it relaxes the blood vessels which ultimately lower blood pressure.

To make it simple, eating pepper opens up the blood vessels. It also increases the blood flow and maintains the blood pressure of the body. Studies have shown that long term intake of fiber-rich food reduces blood pressure. So, cayenne is here to regulate your blood pressure overnight.

Improve Digestive Health:

The way you eat will ultimately make your heart healthy. As we know, cayenne pepper helps to maintain a normal blood pressure level in the body. Thus, cayenne ultimately helps you to become less worried about your heart.

An incredible fact about cayenne is that it stops the heart attack in just 30 seconds. The network of fibrin in vessels cause the plaque in vessels. Interestingly, cayenne helps to breakdown the fibrin. It might help to lower the cholesterol level.

Reduce Hunger:

Cayenne pepper helps to reduce hunger and helps you feel fuller for a long time. Capsaicin in this pepper reduces the hunger producing hormone, ghrelin. This ultimately helps to eat less and manage your weight, Whoa.

Studies have found that consuming two pepper with meals enhances the feeling of fullness. It also suppresses your appetite. On the whole, cayenne pepper helps in reducing hunger and ultimately in managing weight. Hold on, we’re just saying that adding this beauty pepper in your diet helps to lose weight. Don’t fill your plate just with this hot chili and torture yourself.

Acts as Antioxidant:

The fine amount of Vitamin C and Vitamin A give it antioxidant properties. As we know, antioxidants ease the injurious effects of free radicals. Free radicals affect the body in several ways. They cause the heart, lungs, and nerves to function improperly. It is important to eat foods that create immunity. Cayenne pepper has the finest combination of essential nutrients.

Beta-carotene, choline, lutein, and Vitamin E are beneficial for health. Vitamin C also boosts immunity against infectious diseases. Thus, vitamin C protects the body from scurvy. Together vitamin C, carotene, lutein, and cryptoxanthin helps to ease the injurious effects of free radicals.

Pain reliever:

Cayenne pepper works wonder when applied to the area of pain. Most ointments have capsaicin as one of their ingredients. What makes it so good for pain? Capsaicin reduces the amount of substance P. Substance P is a neuropeptide that sends pain signals to the brain. Brain release a substance -dopamine- that offers a sense of calmness.

Cayenne works for migraines too. It reduces the transmission of substance P. Moreover, consuming cayenne reduces the platelet aggregation factor (PAF). Medically speaking, PAF causes the narrowing of blood circulation in the head. Thus, it is a key factor behind migraine, which can ultimately be cured by eating this pepper. Applying capsaicin cream on skin relieve joint and muscular pain as well.

Anti-carcinogenic and Anti-diabetic properties:

You won’t believe it but this magical pepper reduces the risk of cancer as well. Capsaicin causes the death of the cancerous cell (apoptosis). It also inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Thus, it promises to prevent cancer. Antioxidant properties of cayenne may also prevent risks of cancer. Studies have found that eating cayenne pepper helps to manage prostate cancer. Furthermore, it helps treat colon cancer, lungs, and breast cancer.

Risks:

Although cayenne is safe to eat it can irritate the digestive tract. It can also trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals. Severe allergic reactions can cause difficulty in breathing. Eating too much hot pepper can cause stomach ache as well. Moreover, the oral intake of cayenne pepper affects the liver and kidney. So if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding women, we’d recommend you not to eat it orally.

Conclusion:

Hot and pungent pepper is part of almost every cuisines all over the world. Cayenne pepper has some amazing nutrition facts and even ‘amazing-er’ health benefits. Cayenne pepper is not only rich in nutrients, but it is cholesterol-free. It has anti-carcinogenic properties, regulates blood pressure, and helps to manage weight. However, it can trigger allergy and stomach ache in some people. So be careful before adding a teaspoon to your spicy food. But overall, this slender spice adds taste to every dish.