Once you go black...

Image of black & white peppercorns from Wikipedia

Did you know that black pepper contains an active ingredient called piperine, which helps you get more nutrients from food? It is believed to stimulate production of stomach acid, which is necessary for the digestion of protein.
It has been shown to dramatically increase the absorption of the nutrients selenium, vitamin B, beta-carotene and circumin, amongst other nutrients. Extracts of black pepper have been found to have antioxidant and cancer fighting properties. 
As if this wasn’t enough good news, piperine also increases the production of seratonin and endorphin (feel-good chemicals) in the brain. 
The final piece of good news about black pepper is that the outer layer speeds up energy metabolism in the body, mainly due to its breaking fats down and producing heat. 

So while salt may be bad for you, it seems pepper is not to be sneezed at!

How to live longer

I came across some research recently which made me stop and think. I believe most people feel better when they've been active. There is well the known and documented phenomenon, runners high, but it also applies to many other sports. We've known for some time about the endorphin and serotonin releases caused by exercise, but besides helping us understand why we feel good after exercise, now scientists have unwrapped the mechanism's behind how it helps us live longer.

Exercise promotes the growth of structures called telomeres which are essentially the life line of the cell. Every time the cell divides, the telomere shortens. Thankfully, exercise causes the telomeres to lengthen, protecting the cell DNA. The longer these telomeres are, the longer the lifeline of the cell. Also recently published is a study proving that cardiovascular fitness is directly associated with improved brain function in later life. Muscular strength didn't show any link to brain function, but is essential in maintaining body composition and preventing osteoporosis.

Isn't it amazing how the all the little steps we take can sum up to quality time added onto our lives. Yet even at that, many people don't seem to have the time to add years to their lives. There is a huge amount of research which tells us, more exercise is good for our health. Exercise helps improve the health & function of the heart & lungs, brain, kidneys and digestive system. If thats not enough reason to spend 30mins a day being active, just do it because you feel better after it.

Your thoughts?