How do everyday spices help protect the heart?

Could a few extra grams of herbs and spices per day improve blood pressure, inflammation and gut bacteria? A new review of controlled studies shows that these everyday ingredients may provide more than just flavor.

Study: Cardiometabolic and microbiome effects of spices and herbs. Image Credit: BT1976/Shutterstock

In a supplemental article recently published in the journal nutrition reviewsThe review authors summarize evidence from several previously published controlled studies on how regular consumption of culinary spices and herbs affects cardiometabolic risk markers, blood pressure, and gut bacteria in adults with cardiometabolic risk.

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Despite advances in medicine and public health, heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Dietary patterns high in saturated fat, sugar and processed foods can contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and chronic inflammation, which increases the risk of heart disease.

Many common cooking ingredients like cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, oregano and ginger contain natural bioactive compounds that provide antioxidant effects and reduce inflammation.

The review authors said scientists have increasingly discovered whether these everyday ingredients can naturally improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. More research is needed to determine the most effective combination and dosage for long-term cardiovascular risk reduction.

Evidence from the after-meal seasoning study

The review authors first summarized earlier studies that explored how spices and herbs affect the body shortly after eating a high-fat meal, which are known to temporarily increase inflammation, triglycerides and oxidative stress. In a previously published post-meal study, overweight participants consumed a meal containing black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, rosemary, and turmeric. A significant reduction in insulin levels (21%) and triglycerides (31%) was observed in the post-meal period compared to the control meal. Additionally, it was found that the food increases antioxidant activity in the blood.

Another previous study examined whether psychological stress altered these protective effects. Participants ate a high-fat meal with or without spices and then completed stressful tasks such as public speaking and mental arithmetic. The spice mixture reduces triglyceride levels after meals under relaxed conditions, but this benefit disappears during stress. Laboratory analysis revealed that specific spices inhibit lipase and phospholipase A2, enzymes that play a role in fat digestion. However, stress appeared to interfere with these positive metabolic responses, highlighting how emotional stress can affect digestive and cardiovascular health.

Evidence from low-dose culinary spice trials

The review then described a pilot trial investigating whether small culinary doses of spices and herbs could still provide measurable benefits. Participants were given food without spices, 2 grams of spice mixture, and 6 grams of spice mixture. The 6-gram meal significantly reduced the decline in flow-mediated dilation, a measure of blood vessel function that can be impaired after a high-saturated-fat, high-carbohydrate meal.

Another major area of ​​research was inflammation, as chronic low-grade inflammation can lead to heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In a related postprandial analysis, investigators assessed levels of inflammation-related markers in participants’ blood samples after eating a meal containing the spices. A diet containing 6 grams of spices resulted in a significant reduction in the release of selected inflammatory cytokines. lps-Stimulated immune cells (for example, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha). The results suggest that adding herbs and spices to the daily diet may reduce the impact of unhealthy foods on inflammation.

Evidence from a 4-week controlled-diet trial

The review authors also summarized a subsequent controlled-diet trial that examined whether these benefits persisted with long-term intake in adults at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. Each participant consumed an average American diet of low, moderate, or heavy spice foods for four weeks (heavy spice was defined as 6.6 grams of spice per day on a 2,100-calorie diet). Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, markers of inflammation, glucose metabolism and vascular function were measured.

The most important finding was that the high-spiciness diet reduced 24-hour systolic blood pressure compared to the moderate-spiciness diet and reduced 24-hour diastolic blood pressure compared to the low-spiciness diet. Interestingly, there were no significant changes in clinic blood pressure measurements, suggesting that continuous ambulatory monitoring may better capture subtle cardiovascular improvements. These findings indicate that adding herbs and spices to the every day diet may be an easy way to help support cardiometabolic health without significant dietary changes.

Secondary and exploratory findings on immune function, phytochemicals and gut microbiome

The review also included secondary and exploratory analyzes of how spices and herbs affect immune function. It was observed that a moderate-spicy diet reduced interleukin-6 levels in plasma and lps-Stimulated immune cell culture supernatants, which are related to cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. When tested, the original investigators found that eating high levels of the spice changed the behavior of monocytes (white blood cells that play a role in plaque formation in the arteries). These results suggest that spices may reduce cardiovascular risk to some extent by calming immune system activity and limiting inflammatory damage in the arteries.

The review authors further discuss the analysis of phytochemical metabolites in blood samples. Spices and herbs contain various phytochemicals, including flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids. More than 90 metabolites were observed after regular consumption of spices such as black pepper, rosemary, garlic, cinnamon and ginger. These metabolites may help explain some of the observed cardiometabolic effects, but further analysis is needed to directly link them to outcomes such as blood pressure and endothelial function.

Another important finding summarized in the review relates to the gut microbiome: adults consuming a high-spice diet had more bacterial groups often associated with beneficial metabolic functions, Ruminococcaceae and Agathobacter. They produce short-chain fatty acids, which support good gut health. Since gut bacteria influence inflammation, metabolism, and immune function, these findings suggest that culinary spices and herbs may regulate gut bacterial composition in potentially beneficial ways, although direct clinical gut-health effects require further study.

conclusion

The findings reviewed in the article suggest that culinary spices and herbs may improve several important markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health. Acute feeding studies showed improvements in postprandial triglycerides, insulin, antioxidant measures, inflammatory responses, and endothelial function, while a 4-week feeding trial showed improvements in ambulatory blood pressure and selected immune and microbiome markers.

The reviewed evidence also showed that spices influence immune system activity, as well as produce phytochemical metabolites that may provide cardiometabolic benefits.

These findings are relevant because spices and herbs are inexpensive, readily available, and can be easily added to everyday meals. The authors noted that the work was partially funded by the McCormick Science Institute, with relevant advisory relationships disclosed.

The researchers concluded that long-term studies involving diverse populations are still needed to identify optimal spice combinations and therapeutic doses.

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