Black pepper not only adds tons of flavor to your meals, but it's also a miracle worker for your brain. Black pepper acts as a bioenhancer, meaning it acts as a natural booster for other active ingredients.
That's why it's also used as an ingredient in many supplements. In this article, we'll introduce you to some amazing benefits of black pepper for your brain.
Table of contents
1. Black pepper - what exactly is it?
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is universally used and, according to Princeton University, is the most widely used and traded spice in the world [1].
It is sometimes even called the " King of Spices " and is full of vitamins , antioxidants and minerals that can help with respiratory problems, anemia, indigestion and the common cold.
Peppercorns have such a characteristically spicy taste due to a very specific ingredient: piperine ! The piperine content in black pepper is typically between 4.6% and 9.7%.
However, piperine is nowhere near as hot as the capsaicin found in chilies. Besides piperine, other important components of black pepper include pellitorine, guineesine, pipnoohine, trichostachine, and piperonal.
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2. Black pepper and its positive effect on the brain
Black pepper has a very special effect on the brain. The piperine it contains improves cognitive function and optimizes your learning processes. Below, we present four positive effects of piperine on your brain.
1. Piperine increases the production of beta-endorphins
Piperine enhances the production of beta-endorphins . Beta-endorphins are the most abundant endorphins in the human body.
On the one hand, they're responsible for your euphoria, and on the other, they also help increase your stress tolerance. Studies show that an increase in beta-endorphin levels has a positive effect on improving cognitive function in the brain.
A 1985 publication by researchers Zager and Black already describes how beta-endorphins optimize memory and learning processes. [2]
2. Piperine optimizes dopamine levels
Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain. It is synthesized from, among other substances, the essential amino acid phenylalanine and serves to excite nerve cells, thus contributing to information processing.
The neurotransmitter dopamine, as well as the happiness hormone serotonin , are broken down by a very specific enzyme: monoamine oxidase, or MAO for short.
Once split, dopamine loses its effectiveness and this is where piperine comes into play: It inhibits the enzyme MAO and thus helps to ensure that less dopamine is split , meaning more of it stays in your brain so that you are optimally supplied.
Because dopamine has a feedback effect and is largely responsible for your motivation , the hormone helps you achieve your goals.
3. Black pepper (piperine) and serotonin/melatonin
Similar to the happiness hormone dopamine , piperine also affects the feel-good hormone serotonin , which is responsible for your mood and spirits. Piperine enhances the effects of 5-HTP , a molecule used in the brain to produce serotonin.
Here, too, piperine reduces its breakdown by inhibiting the enzyme MAO, which would otherwise break down the happiness hormone serotonin and thus render it ineffective.
Black pepper can improve your mental performance, reduce stress, and elevate your mood through its influence on serotonin production. A 2008 study by J. Wattana Thorn et al. shows that piperine has significant antidepressant effects over a four-week dosing period. [4]
4. Piperine helps Parkinson’s patients
Black pepper can help treat and prevent Parkinson's disease because piperine boosts dopamine levels.
In Parkinson's disease, the production of dopamine is disrupted and the dopamine-producing nerve cells cannot produce the amounts the body needs.
Dopamine deficiency primarily leads to slowed and impaired movements. However, the lack of dopamine also disrupts the delicate balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Due to the dopamine deficiency, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine now becomes relatively predominant, which is responsible for the tremors and muscle stiffness in Parkinson's patients.
5. Piperine promotes and protects nerve cells
Piperine is also involved in the production of neurotransmitters , as it regulates calcium flow in your body. Calcium promotes the growth of nerve cells and helps release neurotransmitters. Piperine can therefore improve the synchronization of nerve activity in the brain.
Additionally, black pepper protects nerve cell connections and prevents premature cell death. A 2011 publication aptly titled "You Are What You Eat" found a general connection between spice consumption and health.
Certain diseases, especially neurodegenerative ones, are less common in regions where the typical diet is more spice-heavy (e.g., Asia). Black pepper, the king of spices, is at the forefront. [3]
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3. Piperine as a bioenhancer in supplements
Anyone who takes supplements to improve their health, for example, may have heard of the first-pass effect !
He describes how some active ingredients can lose some of their effectiveness during their first passage through the liver . How can you prevent this? With the help of bioenhancers !
What are they? Bioenhancers are natural enhancers that can increase the bioavailability of active ingredients , nutrients, and vitamins.
Black pepper is one such bioenhancer. Besides preventing the first-pass effect, there are several other ways bioenhancers can improve the bioavailability of substances:
- Substances can be better absorbed by the intestine
- Degradation of substances in the intestine and liver is reduced
- Active ingredients can bind better to pathogens and destroy them
- Defense mechanisms of pathogens are weakened and the blood-brain barrier can be overcome more easily
- Reducing the first-pass effect
What makes black pepper a bioenhancer?
Piperine! It helps absorb important nerve nutrients such as vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 , tryptophan , and phenylalanine, as well as numerous minerals.
These are precisely the substances your brain needs to produce neurotransmitters. So, black pepper isn't just good for adding flavor to your food; it can also prevent numerous diseases and enhance the effectiveness of other substances in your body.
Simply put, this means the following: If you take a supplement, it is always a good idea to choose one that contains piperine, as this significantly increases the effectiveness of the other active ingredients in these supplements.
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4. Other effects of black pepper
Piperine, the active ingredient in black pepper, also has many other effects on you.
It can help with colds, for example. Black pepper can also effectively support your digestive system by increasing the secretion of stomach acid.
In addition, black pepper is also used to detoxify your body due to its increased sweating and urination effects.
Black pepper has long been considered a proven remedy for colds and coughs . It can even help with a stuffy nose .
It loosens mucus and debris. This spice also has the remarkable ability to make you sneeze slightly, thus clearing your nose even more effectively. Another wonderful property of black pepper is its antibacterial properties.
5. Conclusion
The piperine in black pepper has many beneficial effects on the human body. Of particular interest is its effect as a bioenhancer, which allows other active ingredients and vitamins to be better absorbed by your body.
6. Sources
[1] http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/16722280?selectedversion=NBD24138617
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2993944
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3183139/
[4] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691508003049
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