This one came as a huge surprise to me. Not the fact that eating peppers is good for us, but the reason why eating peppers could help prevent the onset of Parkinson’s disease. The key is nicotine.
Crazy, right? For years, we’ve been told how terrible nicotine is for us, but it might actually have some benefit, if eaten in foods rather than taken in as a chain-smoker.
Interestingly, peppers are a member of the same botanical family as tobacco and contain small amounts of nicotine as a result. Research studies have shown that people who eat peppers (it really doesn’t specify which variety) at least twice per week have a much lower instance of contracting Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers at the University of Washington studied this phenomenon and published their findings in the Annals of Neurology. Go read about it and see how they made this conclusion. Of course, they still plan to do more studies to confirm the results, but hey, it’s a great excuse to eat a delicious vegetable, just in case.
As a person that was raised by two chain-smoking parents, I detest the idea of my starting to smoke just to potentially avoid Parkinson’s. I don’t recommend you doing it either. Stick to eating yummy peppers instead.
Also, be sure to check out the full page of information about Cayenne peppers to learn more about their medicinal benefits.
Resource Links
Futurity: Can Eating Peppers Help Prevent Parkinson’s?
Nicotine from edible Solanaceae and risk of Parkinson disease
University of Washington: Do peppers reduce risk of Parkinson’s?
