Spicy food and health

What is spice?

Okinawa Soba (Okinawan noodle and soup) 

is delicious and healthier with spices

 (red pepper, chili source, & red ginger).

People who often eat spicy foods live longer. This finding is based on the research result announced from China. It is said that the possibility of living longer and higher more than 10% of the average life expectancy. 

By the way, spicy dishes in China almost contain chili. If so, it means that chili is good for your health. Well, the problem with this opinion is whether we should take chili every day or not.

Spicy is an adjective from a noun, spice. There are various spices in the world. Pepper, ginger, nutmeg etc. are also spices. Humankind has been using spices since the ancient times. 

Spices are important ingredients for making cooked dishes more palatable and tastier. Spices are also served as preservative by delaying food spoilage and as disinfection due to its antibacterial property. In general, spices are used as seasoning, and many more. However, spices effect of preservation and sterilization are actually mild.

For example, Okinawa soba (noodle) a classic menu served in the cafeteria and small eateries in Okinawa. When you reach the table at the cafeteria, you will notice the spices on the table such as, the Shichimi red pepper, Awamori Chili Sauce (Ko-Re-Gu-Su), and red ginger. We like to eat these "spices" with buckwheat Okinawa soba. This is how to eat Okinawa soba. Okinawa soba is a menu that uses spices well.

Spicy food is good for health

There are many spicy menus at American restaurants. Specifically, there is a famous menu called "chicken wing," which has a large amount of spices for deep-fried chicken. By the way, we love it myself. However, it does not have a good image of healthy diet.

Mexican food "Chile" seems like a healthy menu. It is because the ingredients mixed with chili peppers (legumes). Since “chicken wing” was originally "fried birds", and it is difficult to regard it as a healthy menu no matter how much chili is mixed.

Spicy foods and capsaicin

Various studies on spices and health effects have been conducted. It has been said long time ago that there are fewer incidence of cancers in areas with a high intake of spices. Bioactive substances, such as capsaicin contained in spice, have the function of burning fat. Upon ingesting capsaicin, the substance physiologically active, substance P near the pharynx (oropharynx) increases. This substance P also improves the swallowing function, and some studies succeeded in using spices to prevent aspiration pneumonia.

It also can improve digestion and absorption functions. In addition, spice has antibacterial action and a good effect on intestinal bacteria, reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cirrhosis of the liver.

In this way, the good effect of spice has been pointed out in the beginning of this article. The result of the Chinese research that we introduced at the beginning of this article is shown here:

About 20 thousand (subjects) people followed-up for an average period of seven years. The mortality rate of those who had spicy food more than six times a week had a 14% lower in total death rate compared with people who ingested less than once a week. The cause of death from cancer, ischemic heart disease, respiratory illness had declined. This good health benefit was found to be even bigger, especially for non-drinkers.

Based on this result, what will happen to our health advice? We recommend that a rich diet incorporating spices as part of the dishes as well. However, since the original ingredients are important, use spices for vegetables and fish dishes. In addition, it should be used for meat dishes too. We frequently eat Okinawa soba at restaurants in Okinawa. Of course, it is also spicy.

Yasuharu Tokuda, MD, MPH & David Itokazu, MD

How to take fats as food

Latest truth of saturated fatty acids

Beef for Sukiyaki. Maybe too much saturated fat 

by eating ten pieces, but how about five pieces?

Ingestion or intake of saturated fatty acids is not bad for your health. Such research results have recently appeared in reputable medical journals. Saturated fatty acids are fat often found in animal meat, butter, dairy products, etc. Also included are coconut, and cocoa. Good news for those who like these foods.

Until now, ingestion of saturated fatty acid has been recognized to raise the blood concentration of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and therefore it would be a risk for arteriosclerosis (hardening of the walls of the arteries) and thus promoting heart attack and stroke. Certainly, the higher the LDL cholesterol level, the higher the risk of arteriosclerosis.

However, it has not been proven if the LDL cholesterol level would rise due to ingestion of saturated fatty acids. Since not all of the metabolic phenomena in the human body have been elucidated, the "premature" medical theory and real data may not always match. In recent scientific literature, the importance of these "real-world" data is increasing.

Meta-analysis is a method of integrating and analyzing real-world data obtained from various clinical studies. A meta-analysis integrating several major studies with a total combined number of some hundreds of thousand subjects on saturated fatty acids and various health risks have been published. It was shown that there is no relation to the risk of total number of deaths, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, of saturated fatty acid intake.

Latest truth about trans fatty acids

While saturated fatty acids are not bad, trans fatty acids are not good for the body and health. That is the results of meta-analysis coming out recently in peer-review journals. Trans fatty acids are the fat contained in margarine, confectionery, snacks, fresh cream, etc. It is the fatty acid that is artificially produced by loading with hydrogen. If you like such foods, it's important information that could prevent premature diseases.

Well, to understand more in details, let's review about fatty acids here. There are liquid oil and solid fat at room temperature collectively called oils. Fat or oil molecule consists of three fatty acid molecules and one glycerin molecule. Fatty acids are molecules in which carbon atoms are linked in a chain. There are two types of fatty acids: saturated fatty acids with no carbon double bonds and unsaturated fatty acids with carbon double bonds. Unsaturated fatty acids are classified into two types, cis and trans, based on differences in structure around the carbon double bonds. Cis means "on the same side", with hydrogen atoms on the same side across double bonds of carbon atoms. Most natural unsaturated fatty acids are cis type.

Trans means "over there", with hydrogen atoms on opposite sides of the carbon atom double bonds. Unsaturated fatty acids with one or more trans (double) double bonds are collectively called "trans fatty acids". There are some trans fatty acids that are naturally contained in foods and those that can be produced in the process of processing and refining oils and fats.

In animals such as cows, trans fatty acids are made by the action of microorganisms in the stomach, so trace amounts of natural trans fatty acids are contained in beef, milk and dairy products. With the processing technology of "hydrogenation", it is possible to produce semisolid or solid trans fatty acids from liquid vegetable oils or fish oils at room temperature. Foods containing trans fatty acids produced artificially by such hydrogenation include margarine, fat spreads, shortening, and breads, cakes, donuts and other types of confectionery such as fried foods using them as raw materials.

So, in meta-analysis that integrated real-world data, how much was trans fatty acid intake that could lead to various health risks? Six research data were integrated, and the results showed that there is a correlation between intake of trans fatty acids for total mortality and the incidence of heart attack. There was no correlation with the risk of stroke and diabetes.

How to go with trans fatty acids

If you take a lot of trans fatty acids, not only does LDL cholesterol increase in the blood, but HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) decreases. However, here again there is a possibility of a difference between theory and reality. There are still unknown problems. It is obvious that trans fatty acids made artificially will harm health, but the effect on health on natural trans fatty acids is unknown. Also, no research has been done on which trans fatty acids have a bad influence among many types of trans fatty acids.

So, to what extent can trans-fatty acids be consumed from the findings known to date? WHO recommends that intake of trans fatty acids should be less than 1% of total energy intake. On a weight basis, it is less than about 2 g per person per day. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has not yet established the target value of trans fatty acid intake and there is no reference value and obligation to display the content of the trans fatty acids in food in Japan.

Regarding the amount of intake in Japanese, in the survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2008, the average amount of trans fatty acids consumed per person is estimated to be 0.92 to 0.96 g. However, people who consume more processed foods are likely to exceed 2 grams. It is advisable to avoid intake of foods containing a lot of trans fatty acids as much as possible.

Finally, how much fat intake is ideal for health?

If asked, we would like to answer like this manner. First, artificial trans fatty acids intake should be reduced. Monounsaturated fatty acids intake such as nuts should be increased. And saturated fatty acids such as meat and milk intake should be reasonable in amount.

Yasuharu Tokuda, MD, MPH & David Itokazu, MD