2023-12-21 13:10:16
Christmas is coming and, this year a little early, also the peak of flu and colds. As often happens, in addition to the drugs prescribed by doctors, advice and word of mouth are multiplying on what to eat – especially in a period of frequent meals – to alleviate the discomfort of the flu: ranging from drinking the classic orange juice to sipping milk and cognac, to eating honey and sugars or plain pasta and rice, up to chilli pepper. To understand which foods are ‘yes’ and which are ‘no’, a solution comes from food chemistry which exploits nutritional elements as active ingredients, as explained by Paolo Bianchini, nutritional and nutraceutical consultant.
Cognac or grappa, yes or no?
On the use of cognac or grappa in case of malaise “I exclude the benefit since it is alcohol, and therefore sugar with inflammatory effects”, states the expert, creator of the ‘Bianchini Method’. “What is deceiving is the sensation given by vasodilation or the serotonin and dopamine effect released due to sugar can provide this feeling of well-being. It is also true that milk induces sleep, and just think of maternal milk which does not only contain proteins , fats, sugars and vitamins, but also hormones and many other fundamental molecules. Not only that: the hormonal composition – he details – changes depending on the time, so that in the evening and at night the milk has much more melatonin. The same happens with the cow’s milk we normally use which if milked during the night can contain much more melatonin, and this could explain the effect of making people sleep better which is sometimes recorded by drinking milk before going to bed”.
Honey and sugars
The belief about honey and sugars against sore throats should also be dispelled. “The high concentration of sugars present in honey (66-83% composed of glucose, fructose, sucrose oligosaccharides) in addition to those of water (13-20%) and dextrins (1-5%) – states Bianchini – explains why it is capable of triggering all known inflammatory mechanisms. One of the characteristics of sugar is that it reduces the quantity of intracellular ATP, i.e. the molecule that can be defined as the petrol that our cells use. Not only does it reduce it, but it actually limits it production. This creates a cascade of processes that lead to greater storage of nutrients in the fat cells, i.e. you gain more weight. High sugar levels lead to a series of consequences, including weight gain, increase in intravisceral fat, insulin resistance, increased triglycerides, lowered HDL cholesterol, increased blood pressure, increased uric acid and systemic inflammation”.
Chili
On the other hand, chilli pepper “very useful because it is anti-inflammatory” was passed with flying colours. “In chili pepper – explains the nutritionist – we find precious nutrients such as vitamin C (almost 230 mg/100 g, while lemon contains around 50 mg) which is a well-known immunostimulant, together with antioxidants, minerals, etc. But chili pepper contains also capsiate and its dihydro-derivatives, which have been shown to have the ability to induce spontaneous death in tumor cells in the laboratory, just like the pungent active ingredient capsaicin known for its pain-relieving properties. Scientific evidence suggests that it may also be a active with an antibacterial and analgesic action, despite the irritating sensation, it is certainly beneficial as long as, like any spice, it is taken in moderation due to the truly pharmacological effects attributed”.
Eat in white
Eating blankly doesn’t help. “Rice, like pasta, contains starch (rice more than pasta, to be honest), which is made up of glucose chains. A high quantity of glucose – states Bianchini – can be harmful to the immune system, compromising its ability to fight infections. If there is too much glucose in the body, excess production of inflammatory substances can occur, which can damage the balance of the immune system and lead to problems such as chronic inflammation and chronic inflammatory diseases.”
Orange juice
Even the classic orange juice, according to Bianchini “has some limits”, because “when we drink it we take in more sugars than vitamins and we know how sugars trigger the inflammatory mechanism. The risk/benefit ratio of a juice is unfavorable: 5 grams are enough of sugar to activate the insulin response and in a 100 ml glass there are 8 grams of sugar”. As for meat and eggs, the nutritionist maintains: to “fight certain pathogens in a natural way and allow the immune system to strengthen and get used to fighting with its own weapons, it is better to have nutrients available that are favorable to reducing the inflammatory state – explains the nutritionist – than to prefer those that cause it. For example, zinc which is a fundamental microelement for life. Its beneficial role in respiratory tract diseases, in the reduction of infections and in its immunostimulatory action has been scientifically demonstrated”. And “meat, especially red meat, is one of the best sources of zinc”, together with “eggs (especially the yolk), fish products, milk and its derivatives, which together guarantee a further 30% of the zinc consumed with diet.”
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