Tip 5 Damn Good Reasons to Use This Spice Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness EatingSupplements Tip 5 Damn Good Reasons to Use This Spice It' s been under our noses the whole time by TC Luoma November 3, 2017June 3, 2022 Tags Curcumin, Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Super Health, Tips Ground pepper – the stuff you find on any and every dining room table – was once so revered that it was used as currency. Archaeologists even found black peppercorns (from which ground pepper comes) shoved in the nose of Egyptian ruler Ramses II. It may have been just to keep the ants out of old Ramses' nose, or maybe it was the last mischievous act of a vengeful rival rather than some sign of how valued peppercorns were. Still, it's clear that pepper has a long and storied history. Largely lost in that history, though, are some of pepper's impressive biological effects. Black pepper helps you lose weight. Pepper, according to a study published in Physiology and Behaviour in 2006, acts as a thermogenic. In other words, it increases your metabolism. Another study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2012 reported that black pepper even suppresses the development of new fat cells. Black pepper increases athletic performance. Piperine, a constituent of black pepper, causes muscles to burn more glucose and fat during exercise. The study, reported in Nutrition & Metabolism earlier this year, was done on mice but there's good reason to think it would work the same way on us human types. The human equivalent of piperine for a 175-pound man would be about 40 mg, and you can get that much in about 1.3 grams of pepper (white or black). Black pepper increases the absorption of nutrients. As mentioned above, pepper contains a chemical called piperine, and in addition to possibly increasing athletic performance, it also helps you absorb other notoriously hard to digest vitamins and mineral like beta carotene, selenium, B-vitamins, as well as other nutrients. Black pepper helps digestion and prevents intestinal gas. Black pepper causes the stomach to secrete more hydrochloric acid, which aids in the digestion of proteins. It's also known as a "carminative," which means that it's something that discourages the formation of intestinal gas. It promotes heart health. The November 2013 issue of Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics reported that black pepper has beneficial effects on blood pressure. It also reduces inflammation, which is a big factor in heart disease. Just about anything that comes from a plant is full of antioxidants, curbs inflammation, and fights cancer, so black pepper also has all that going for it. It's also high in minerals like manganese, zinc, magnesium, and iron, as well as Vitamin K, although you'd have to take a lot of pepper to get any appreciable amounts of those nutrients. Malaria parasites in the bloodstream don't seem to like black pepper at all, either. Black pepper is available crushed, ground, or as whole peppercorns. While the ground or crushed variety only has a shelf life of about three months, whole peppercorns last practically forever. In fact, if some of them fall out of an Egyptian mummy's nose, feel free to grind them up and use them. To really get the most out of pepper's attributes, you should strive to use about a teaspoon a day. That seems like a lot, but if you literally spread it out over a few meals (on eggs, sandwiches, meat, or even unorthodox foods like oatmeal or even a cookie), you can easily ingest that much. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Is Corn Syrup in Beer Bad For You Bud Lite calls out other beer companies for using a fattening and unhealthy ingredient. Are they right? Dietary Myth Busting, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma March 30 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Who Gets Fatter Night Owls or Early Birds Your sleeping habits affect your eating habits. Check out this new research. GABA, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Tips Chris Shugart March 9 Diet & Fat Loss 4 Reasons Red Meat is Overrated Since the dawn of strength training, lifters have opted for red meat, believing it conveyed strength and endurance. Here's why you might want to rethink things. Dietary Myth Busting, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements TC Luoma December 5 Eating Tip 4 Keto Diet Fails Ketogenic diets work for some people, at least for a while. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid. Carbohydrate Control, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Christian Thibaudeau April 18