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Is Black Pepper Healthy? Here's What the Science Says - Time
Like salt, black pepper sits on almost every kitchen table or countertop in America. But while whole books have been written about sodium consumption and human health, black pepper and its compounds have garnered little attention from experts.
But pepper probably deserves more scrutiny. Some research has linked black pepper marinades to the elimination of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which are the cancer-causing chemicals that form when meat is charred or cooked at high temperatures. A group at Kansas State University found that mixing one gram of fine black pepper with 100 grams of ground beef—which works out to about a teaspoon of black pepper per half-pound of meat—almost completely eliminated the formation of HCAs during cooking.
While that much pepper may be too pungent for some, the study author says that mixing pepper with oregano, rosemary, and other herbs in the same spice-to-meat ratio should provide the same carcinogen-lowering benefits.
Like salt, black pepper sits on almost every kitchen table or countertop in America. But while whole books have been written about sodium consumption and human health, black pepper and its compounds have garnered little attention from experts.
But pepper probably deserves more scrutiny. Some research has linked black pepper marinades to the elimination of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which are the cancer-causing chemicals that form when meat is charred or cooked at high temperatures. A group at Kansas State University found that mixing one gram of fine black pepper with 100 grams of ground beef—which works out to about a teaspoon of black pepper per half-pound of meat—almost completely eliminated the formation of HCAs during cooking.
While that much pepper may be too pungent for some, the study author says that mixing pepper with oregano, rosemary, and other herbs in the same spice-to-meat ratio should provide the same carcinogen-lowering benefits.
