Mumbai
Updated : Dec 19, 2014, 07:16 AM IST
In China they do it with chilli, in India they do it with mirchi / The chilli's so hot, I don't know for what? The answer to the first line of that popular limerick seems to have been found. At least if you go by a new paper published by Jordane Boudesseul and his PhD guide Laurent Bègue at France's University of Grenoble Alpes.
The study, aptly titled Some Like it Hot, which suggests that behavioural preference for spicy food among men is related to testosterone levels, should come as music to the ears of most Indians who use chillies even in ice-cream. Testosterone is a hormone often associated with heightened sex drive in men.
Boudesseul, who is currently a visiting student at Arizona State University in the US, said their research involved 114 males between 18 and 44. The participants were asked to indicate their spicy food preferences and then made to sample mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and salt.
"A positive correlation was observed between endogenous salivary testosterone and the quantity of hot sauce participants voluntarily and spontaneously consumed as part of the experiment."
In contrast, Boudesseul said, men with preference for salty foods did not show commensurate levels of the sex hormone.
When asked about what prompted the study, he explained, "A wide range of endocrinological studies already have showed a correlation between ovarian hormones and eating behaviours, but no study tried to investigate the relationship between testosterone and preference for spiciness."
The researchers said since they found more men tend to prefer spicy food they thought it would make sense to run the study on a male population. "We found that more the level of endogenous testosterone during the experiment, the higher the amount of spice they had added to their plate."
Incidentally, none of the participants, who got 10 euros each for participation, were aware of what the study was seeking to find. "We told them that they were participating in a food-tasting session for a food company about to launch a new line." Boudesseul insists his Indian roomie at Tempe, Arizona, has little to do with the idea of the study. "Of course, I'm eating far too much spicy food than I am used to do these days because of him," he chuckles, adding, "But I should probably control myself. Finding the right outlet for all that testosterone isn't always easy."
Well-known sexologist and founder-advisor of the world association for sexual health Dr Prakash Kothari disagreed that chillies and testosterone levels are linked. "One certainly can't link libido, desire and performance with chillies which according to our ancient health systems can only give you acidity. Our ancient texts prescribe urad (black gram) and gokhru (Tribulus terrestris) and I've found that they work. I often prescribe these easy-to-get remedies to my patients too."
Others like leading Ayurvedic practitioner Dr Amit Mishra, however, saw merit in the study. After jokingly linking India's massive population with its obsession with chillies and all things pungent, on a serious note he explained, "Chillies help break down cholesterol levels. When this happens, haemoglobin levels rise. Any improvement with blood supply obviously helps as it is blood which helps engorge the penis when excited. It also helps with the testosterone levels." He suggested that raw green chillies were preferable over dry red ones as they pack in far more nutrients. "If it's only spice one is looking for then black pepper is the best option because it doesn't irritate the system as much."
At the Mirchi Gully, one of Mumbai's oldest markets where the Sankeshwari chillies known for their bite are retailing at over Rs150 a kilo, trader Mulchand Shah, 55, bursts out laughing when told about the study. "Havey bhaav vadaris (Now I can jack up the price)," he says with a glint even as one tries to block out the earworm going uff uff mirchi....