NUTRIENTS

T H AT
AFFECT THE
H E A RT B E AT

(other than caffeine)

 CAPSAICIN- WHAT IS IT?
• Capsaicin is the active ingredient in hot peppers and other plants of the
Capsicum family
• Its primary use for things other than foods is to treat pain
• It blocks the pain message to your nerves, and some research suggests that
it may help reduce inflammation
 CAPSAICIN CONT.
• Capsaicin comes in two main forms:
• Capsaicin patches- used to help postherpetic neuralgia or diabetic neuropathy
• Capsaicin cream- used for pain relief

• How it works:
• First it stimulates and then decreases the intensity of pain signals in the body
• Mainly reduces Substance P, a pain transmitter in our nerves
• It acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells of the body from damage by free radicals
• Can thin mucus in the lungs
 CAPSAICIN AND HEARTBEAT
Side affects that are common with eating food containing capsaicin include a
burning sensation, and on some occasions, an increase in heartbeat
• The body’s response to capsaicin includes a temporary increase in heart
rate, an increase in perspiration and the release of endorphins
• It causes a significant increase in systolic blood pressure, heart rate,
contractility of the heart, and systemic vascular resistance
• Over a short period of time however, the heart rate steadies and maintains
itself and shows that there is no long-term side affects of using or
consuming capsaicin
 THEOBROMINE- WHAT IS IT?

• Theobromine is an alkaloid chemical compound that exists naturally in a

variety of plants like the leaves of a tea plant and the kola nut, but
primarily is known for being in the cacao bean.
• Theobromine is known for being in chocolate (mostly dark chocolate) and
being the cause of a caffeine-like affects when eating chocolate.

Very similar but not the same!

 THEOBROMINE AND HEARTBEAT

Theobromine is a potent cardiac stimulant that may decrease systolic blood

pressure unlike Capsaicin, but increases the heart rate dramatically more
than both capsaicin and caffeine in some doses.
• It blocks phosphodiesterase enzymes and increases the activity of the cAMP
messenger that activates the PKA enzyme that reduces inflammation,
widens blood vessels, and increases stimulation
• Theobromine can trigger hormones that increase blood pressure and
increases the response time of the brain to signals like increased heart rate
• In the long run, it helps cardiovascular health though, reducing low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol serum concentrations, improving the blood lipid
profile.