Spicy food may help you sleep better
Spice up your life
Go for the burn. That’s what researchers from the University of Tasmania are saying since their study revealed that spicy food can help you sleep better and give you more energy the next day.
Study participants reported that they fell asleep and woke up more easily, requiring 20 minutes less sleep each night, and had more energy the next day, moving around up to 30 percent more after they ate food spiced with 30g of freshly chopped chili peppers.
In the eight-week study, 25 volunteers first ate a bland diet and then were given the equivalent of two mild curries a day. Although at first the spicy food disturbed the participants’ sleep, the volunteers quickly adjusted to the chili pepper-rich diet.
Researchers say the effects are due to capsaicin, a chemical that is responsible for chili peppers’ piquant taste. The chemical is thought to act on sensors in the brain that control sleep cycles.
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A candy-dandy solution
Q: My daughter has been struggling with infertility and was told that she may have polycystic ovarian syndrome. She has been prescribed glucophage, but she prefers to try a natural treatment. Is there one?
JVW: Licorice may be beneficial in treating certain hormone-related illnesses, including polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. Studies have shown that two compounds in licorice, glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid exert a powerful influence on steroid hormone function, altering the way they are metabolized.
In an uncontrolled clinical trial, eight infertile women with PCOS were given 5 to 10 grams daily of licorice and Paeonia lactiflora for two to eight weeks. After the treatment period ended, blood levels of testosterone were normal in seven patients and six had begun ovulating regularly. Two of the six became pregnant. A subsequent study found that paeoniflorin (from Paeonia) and glycyrrhetinic acid significantly decreased testosterone production from the ovaries.
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What is…polycystic ovarian syndrome?
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. Women with PCOS have high levels of male hormones, an irregular menstrual cycle, and small cysts in their ovaries.
Symptoms include excess facial and body hair, acne, and obesity. PCOS typically appears in younger women who have not yet established regular periods. Regulating the menstrual cycle is the first step in treating the disorder.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Editorial Director
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
“Hot new discovery to help sleep,” The Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au), 10/10/05
