Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated : April 23, 2015 12:11 PM IST
Changing lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits have increased the incidence of diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. There many natural remedies that help reversing or control these diseases and Indian scientists have now discovered fat-fighting and sugar controlling properties in and green, red and yellow bell peppers. (Read: 7 reasons capsicum is great for your health )
As reported by The Hindu, the scientists from CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) studied that effects of capsicum or bell peppers on digestive enzymes namely, alpha- glucosidase which breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and pancreatic lipase which breaks down the lipids or fats in the body to fatty acids. The scientists found out that yellow and red capsicum slows down the digestion of carbohydrates and lipids. (Read: 6 expert tips to prevent obesity)
Lead author and Senior Principal Scientist, Dr. Ashok Kumar Tiwari said that yellow capsicum was twice as potent as green capsicum in inhibiting the activity of alpha- glucosidase and lipase enzyme. He explained that the concentration of lipids and blood sugar is reduced once digestion of carbohydrates and lipids is slowed down, and hence it would cut the chance of developing hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidemia. This makes yellow capsicum a better option than green capsicum. He suggested that eating raw capsicum as salads would be beneficial. (Read: 10 home remedies for diabetes that really work!)
However, the lipase inhibiting activity of red capsicum was equivalent to that of yellow capsicum, and its inhibition of glucosidase was similar to that of green capsicum. What makes yellow and red capsicum better over green is that green capsicum lacks oligomerised anthocyanins that are pigments responsible for their bright colour. These pigments are better inhibitors of these enzymes than pro-anthocyanins found in green capsicum. Yellow and red capsicums possess better anti-oxidative activity than green variety that helps fighting the oxidative stress induced by hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. (Read: How to use natural remedies to control diabetes better)
The research work was published recently online in Natural Products Research.
Image source: Getty Images
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