Capsaicin, the compound that gives chillies their 'kick' is being tested for its effects on brain health in humans.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 You want to chop it up as fine as you can so you've got a good surface area.
00:06 Dry chillies do work best rather than wet chillies.
00:10 [chopping]
00:17 Capsaicin hasn't been assessed in brain health previously, but it has been in animals.
00:22 And what we've seen in animals is that it can improve cognition and also improve brain blood flow,
00:27 so the function of the brain's blood vessels.
00:29 We also know that a reduction in brain health is associated with certain factors,
00:34 such as obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.
00:38 And what we've shown in animal models previously is that it reduces obesity or obesity-related side effects,
00:45 and it also improves heart and blood vessel function.
00:48 [chopping]
00:58 Capsaicin will actually be administered through a vegetarian capsule that's vegan compliant.
01:03 So it's meat-free, it's HALAL certified, et cetera.
01:07 So the capsaicin will actually be incorporated in a unique beadlet formula
01:11 that avoids all those spicy sensations that you feel when you eat a lot of chilli,
01:15 like the burning of the mouth or the irritable tummy.
01:18 [chopping]
01:28 We all probably know or have known somebody who's been affected by dementia or a neurodegenerative disease,
01:35 so it is really prevalent.
01:37 The problem at the moment is that because we're an ageing population,
01:42 we're living longer than we ever have before, which is great.
01:45 Unfortunately, dementia is increasing alongside that.
01:49 [chopping]