Spices Boost Metabolism

Wealth spices are abundant in our country is actually not only be used for cooking, but also health. A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that a mixture of spices in foods can increase metabolism in the body.

According to researchers, by adding a combination of various spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, and peppers to the diet significantly help to reduce levels of triglycerides and insulin.


"Antioxidants such as spices may be important in reducing oxidative stress and thereby reduce the risk of chronic disease," said Sheila West of Penn State University and colleagues.

In the experiments, researchers involved six men who have excess weight was 30 to 65 years. In the first part, regularly volunteers ate chicken coconut milk, white rice, cheese bread, and desserts such as biscuits. After about a week, the volunteers switched to consume foods with spice mixture. Then the menu was processed into chicken curry chicken, sandwiches and biscuits herbal concoction of cinnamon.

Furthermore, researchers took blood samples of participants before meal and every 30 minutes during the nearly four hours afterward. They found that the addition of spices to significantly reduce the insulin response (21 percent) and triglycerides (31 percent), although no effect on glucose.

"This significant effect is likely due to the result of high concentrations of phenolic antioxidants in spices," says the researcher.

They concluded that incorporating the spices into the daily diet can help to normalize impaired glucose before and after eating and fat homeostasis while enhancing antioxidant defenses.