Eating Chili Peppers in the Summer Can Prevent Heatstroke (Photo)
As early as 1900, chemist Wilbur Scoville invented a method to measure the pungency of chili peppers, and the unit used to measure spiciness is the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU). Sweet peppers contain no capsaicin, so their SHU is 0; jalapeno peppers contain 5,000 SHU; and habanero peppers contain 300,000 SHU. The Bhut jolokia, considered the world's hottest pepper and originating from the East Indies, has a capsaicin content exceeding 1 million SHU.
For most people, the spiciness of chili peppers is something only the taste buds can perceive, but in fact, spiciness is also linked to nutrition. Chili peppers are rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, magnesium, and potassium. Capsaicin in chili peppers also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease, certain tumors, and other chronic diseases that come with age. Human trials have found that meals containing chili peppers can increase the body's energy expenditure, aiding in weight loss. An article published in the *British Journal of Nutrition* also pointed out that regular consumption of chili peppers can effectively delay the development of atherosclerosis and the oxidation of lipoproteins in the blood. Furthermore, it was once thought that eating chili peppers frequently might irritate the stomach and even cause stomach ulcers. But the truth is the exact opposite. Capsaicin not only fails to increase gastric acid secretion but actually inhibits it while stimulating the secretion of alkaline mucus, helping to prevent and treat stomach ulcers.
Milk and Beer are Better at Relieving Spiciness Than Water
When you eat chili peppers, you feel hot and naturally want to drink water or eat some staple food to dilute the spiciness. In fact, doing so is not very effective. In reality, capsaicin binds tightly to nerve receptors on the taste buds, and since capsaicin is not water-soluble, it can only bind with fats, oils, and alcohol. This explains why beer is more effective at relieving spiciness than water.
But the best food for relieving spiciness is milk, especially skim milk. Although it was previously thought that the fats in milk could better bind with capsaicin, current research has found that the truly effective component is casein in milk.