When it comes to seasoning food, you’ll find on every restaurant table salt and pepper. Next time, you might want to just reach for the pepper. It’s been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, but the health benefits are really being looked at and studied now.

It’s high in antioxidants which helps lessen free radical damage that leads to serious health problems like heart disease and some cancers. And it has great anti-inflammatory benefits and some antibacterial properties which researchers think may help against infectious diseases and foodborne or other drug-resistant pathogens.

Black pepper contains piperine, which in some lab studies has been found to suppress cancer cells in breast, prostate, and colon cancers. And diets high in black pepper have been found to increase high-density lipoprotein – aka the good cholesterol!

Plus, there’ve been more studies related to helping blood sugar control, nutrient absorption, and even boosting brain function.

However, don’t use too much, because you might suffer from gastrointestinal side effects; but if you keep it simple, your body may just thank you.

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