Bitterness and health

Babies have a special taste for two specific flavors: bitter and sweet.he bitterwhich helps identify whether foods are toxic and sweet, which usually corresponds to foods with a high caloric index.

There are many bitter compounds found in nature, and most of our sensory receptors are designed to recognize them. But among these compounds (amino acids, peptides, esters, flavonoids, terpenes, methylxanthines like caffeine…), few are toxic. Additionally, antioxidants are also on the list and are very beneficial to health. How to explain it?

In 2016, Robert Lee and Noam Cohen published their findings in Scientific American exploring the benefits of “bitter sentinels” to our health. Since then, we’ve known that bitter taste receptors aren’t just found on the tongue, but are found throughout the body and act as watchdogs that protect us from infection.

But there’s more: Stimulating these receptors “could help strengthen the natural immune response and reduce current reliance on antibiotics.”

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active agent

The bitter taste actually indicates a “function” that, depending on the age of the substance taken, can act as a poison or an antidote. This may explain why almost everything containing active substances tastes bitter, such as:

• he green tea (Rich in an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate).
• he 99% cocoa chocolate (Contains high amounts of polyphenols).
• this blueberry (Has a high tannin index).

Let’s briefly look at how they affect us.

Benefits of Bitter Foods

• Bitter ingredients stimulate appetite by acting on the hypothalamus and increasing gastric motility and secretions.
• Bitter ingredients are great for loss of appetite and general weakness, and also improve digestion as they stimulate the production of gastrin, a hormone that works in the digestive system for better digestion of food. Gastrin helps increase the production of bile, pancreatic and gastric juices, and intestinal motility. Therefore, digestion is not so slow and heavy.
• Bitters often irritate the liver and help prevent the formation of gallbladder stones. When bile production is adequate, many digestive abnormalities such as gas, intestinal decay, and constipation can be prevented. By keeping blood sugar levels more stable, bitter tastes become a great ally in preventing diabetes.

ideal weight

The more fully metabolized food is, meaning it is better utilized and excreted more easily, so the body retains less fat. Using the bitter principle helps eliminate calories and facilitates weight loss diets.

Bitter tastes, on the other hand, have been shown to satisfy hunger more easily than other flavors. This is one of the main reasons why it is recommended to eat salads containing bitter ingredients as appetizers (lettuce, rocket, dandelion, etc.). If there’s a day you don’t start the meal with a salad, try something bitter.

Numerous comparative studies have shown that communities with a particular preference for such foods, such as those in India, China, and some alpine communities in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, tend to have thinner people.

Anti-anemic, tonic and alkalinizing

Bitter foods have been shown to promote iron absorption, which is necessary to prevent the onset of anemia. They can also improve the absorption of vitamins, especially vitamin B12, which among its functions is to promote the production of red blood cells. Bitters also aid in the metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins that dissolve in fat: vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K). All of this means better metabolism and more efficient use of nutrients.

Bitter preparations have the effect of alkalizing the body and preventing acidification, which is due above all to the role played by the simple carbohydrates we eat in metabolism: it determines the body to become acidic, correspondingly increasing the occurrence of diseases.

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Digestive juices and food poisoning

Digestive juices are important in destroying microorganisms that may be harmful to the body. Many people who are prone to infectious diseases have low levels of digestive juices, so not only do they have difficulty digesting food, but they often suffer from infection problems. Even some food intolerance problems are caused by food not being digested properly. Well, using bitter-tasting foods can prevent or lessen certain food incompatibilities in some people.

Bitters are just not great for people with heartburn because they increase stomach acid production. In this case, heartburn, gastritis, or peptic ulcers may worsen.

Precautions for Toxic Bitters

Some bitter substances are toxic and must be understood to avoid their use. For example, seeds of plums, apples, peaches, apricots, cherries… (Rosaceae). Combined with saliva, these bitter ingredients break down into hydrogen cyanide (cyanide), a highly toxic ingredient, which also happens with bitter almonds. Also rue and some mushrooms.

author: Jaume Rosselló, health and food editor

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