Top 5 Piperine Health Effects & Benefits: Bioenhancing Molecule
Piperine is a compound found in black pepper and can display many effects on our health from antioxidant to anti-tumor effects. It forms a significant part of the spice known as black pepper or piper nigrum and is the main bioactive molecule in black pepper. Black pepper is also used in perfumes, medicines and in cooking as a spice. Pepper or black pepper is a strong and spicy flavour enhancer. It is also generally classed as a medicinal plant too.
Black pepper has also been used to improve the circulation of the blood in some cultures, including in Chinese medicine. Piperine is well documented to be an anti-inflammatory antioxidant with brain and kidney protecting properties.
This compound is an alkaloid, which is where a lot of its health effects originate from. Piperine also seems to be able to encourage detoxification in the body, while promoting the bioavailability and uptake of different compounds. This is why it has been termed a bioenhancer molecule. Let’s look at piperine in a little more detail covering its health promoting benefits.
Antioxidant Effects Of Piperine
As an antioxidant, piperine may have powerful and direct effects within the body. Piperine can protect the body from dangerous free radical induced damage and is also a powerful superoxide scavenger.
Free radicals can induce oxidative damages to important molecules and your DNA which can lead to cellular dysfunction or cancer. Piperine is thought to also guard glutathione peroxidase activities which is important in preventing oxidative damage to the body. It might have neuroprotective properties in high enough quantities, acting as a bioenhancer to display strong neuroprotective effects alongside quercetin. It also might be able to improve mitochondrial dysfunction and enhance nerve cell survival.
One study identified piperine as being able to repair crucial parts of the intestines. This might be because of the antioxidant effects of piperine and why piperine is associated with the increased bioavailability of certain compounds. When used in conjunction with curcuminoids or curcumin, piperine assisted with reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in patients. Taken together, piperine might have health effects in enough quantities as an antioxidant.
Anti-Tumor Agent
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death globally. Some scientists believe that piperine could become a novel anti-cancer drug. Piperine is thought to regulate different cell outcomes in cancer progression and growth, including cell destruction. It also seems be an anti-mutagenic compound, while having very low toxicity, inhibiting the growth of cancer stem cells.
Piperine is a known bio-enhancing molecule which means it improves the uptake of various molecules including anticancer drugs. One meta review on how piperine effects cancer revealed that in about 100 different studies, piperine treatment causes cell induced destruction and prevents cancer cell growth. It was seen to prevent the growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells.
The immunomodulation effects of piperine might be able to encourage improved white blood cell counts and this might also help in the prevention of cancerous growths. It also positively affected bone marrow cells and composition, which is crucial to sustaining immunity.
Therefore, piperine could very well have cancer prevention properties. Both its effects as a bioenhancer and anti-tumorigenic molecule provide promise for its future in cancer research.
Piperine Benefits In Obesity Prevention
The full range of effects of piperine on the body are just beginning to be fully understood. One of these effects is one body weight, glucose levels and fat mass. Piperine is thought to encourage a reduction in these factors, which contribute to obesity.
Other studies have also noted how piperine lowers lipid or fat levels, providing anti-obesity activity without effecting appetite. Piperine improves the metabolism of lipids, which protects against fatty weight gain. It also enhances energy expenditure, which might also be a contributing factor to protection from excessive weight gain.
Where there is reduced adipose or fat tissue in obese people, you also see a reduction in obesity related inflammation. This is another potential benefit of piperine.
The fat lowering effects of piperine were also observed in the liver, reducing incidence of fatty liver. Piperine may also be able to significantly improve the diversity of microbes within the gut and this is thought to also contribute to weight loss.
Effects of Piperine As An Anti-Diabetic
Piperine has been seen to reduce insulin resistance in individuals who experience insulin signalling issues. This is a crucial part of the development of diabetes. There are a number of recent studies looking into how piperine has an influence on insulin resistance and diabetes.
Studies have noted how piperine can be an immunomodulator because of the anti-inflammatory effects that it has on the body. Piperine has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, while also lowering blood pressure. This reduction, or modulation, in metabolic inflammation is essential to managing insulin resistance and diabetes. This is how piperine is thought to be able to influence diabetes outcomes.
One study also has outlined that piperine improves the metabolic rate of specific muscle fibres and this might also work to improve insulin sensitivity. Piperine might therefore have some health benefits in the prevention of obesity and insulin resistance.
Anti-Microbial Effects of Piperine
In some traditional medicines, black pepper has been used to treat various diseases including coughs, colds, dysentery and stomach-ache.
Many studies have linked piperine in black pepper to its abilities as an antimicrobial or enhancing the effects of other anti-microbials. Piperine is effective against various pathogenic bacteria. This plant alkaloid also has antifungal properties and in the correct quantities might have immune enhancing effects. It also seems to work synergistically with other compounds to supress the growth of pathogenic fungi. This alkaloid has been shown to be able to have antibiofilm activity which is very useful against microbes.
Another interesting study concluded that piperine might work together synergistically with antibiotics to improve the effectiveness of them. This might be a novel approach to treating antibiotic resistant bacteria. This sort of research has been carried out practically with tuberculosis, a disease that remains prevalent in some countries. Piperine might be able to help improve outcomes of this disease when combined with other antimicrobials.
Conclusion
Here we have covered the known health effects of piperine, a plant alkaloid, found in black pepper. Piperine is a known antioxidant, with measurable effects on removing harmful free radicals in the body.
The compound also seems to be able to assist with intestinal repair, while enhancing the uptake of nutrients and medically prescribed drugs into the body. Piperine has been shown to have promise as an anti-tumor drug too. Improving the uptake of anti-cancer medicines, while also have anti-tumor growth activities of its own.
One major breakthrough area for piperine has been in the field of diabetes and obesity. Piperine is possibly able to reduce fat levels and weight, which presents good outcomes for obesity. This compound is also thought to directly link to improved insulin sensitivity. While this needs to be investigated further, this is quite an exciting development.
Piperine might also be able to assist the immune system in fighting against certain pathogens. It has been shown to have strong effects against fungi and bacteria. In addition, some researchers believe it could play a significant role in treating drug or antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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