Spice up Your Life and Live Longer

A scientific study is under way to find out how spices affect the health. So far, scientists have zeroed in on cinnamon, tumeric, cumin and oregano as beneficial in a range of diseases. For some strange reason, people who ate apple pie had good results in keeping their blood glucose levels down. Scientists figured that apples had loads of chrominum in them so . . . . But when they deconstructed the ingredients, there was was no chromium at all in the pie. It was the cinnamon that did it. Not only that, but it sent triglycerides and cholesterol levels plummeting. While this was be horrifying news for the makers of Lipitor and Zocor, it is good news for us. Tumeric, a spice found in curries, helped mice with cystic fibrosis lead normal lives.

Turning to anti-oxidants, which control inflamation, the researchers found that herbs beat out vegetables and fruits. Oregano had 42 times the anti-oxidant power of apples, 12 times more than orange juice and 30 times more than potatoes. It is notable that Indians and Pakistanis, who love their tumeric-laced hot dishes have the lowest rate of Alzheimers in the world.

© Bud