The Effect of Capsaicin-Containing Food on the Swallowing Response

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of regular ingestion of capsaicin-containing food that is easily available in everyday life on the latency of the swallowing response (LSR). Pickled Napa cabbage was selected as the food for the present study. One portion (10 g) of pickled Napa cabbage provides 1.5 µg of capsaicin. Participants ingested pickled Napa cabbage (10 g) before every meal for 20 days (days 1–20). LSR was measured pre-intervention (day 0) and post-intervention (day 21). The participants then followed their regular diet, without foods containing red pepper, from day 21 to day 27, and LSR was measured on day 28 (follow-up LSR). Sixteen elderly participants (two male, 14 female; age 81.6 ± 9.39 years) and 10 young participants (all female; age 21.6 ± 0.52 years) participated in the study. The pre-intervention LSR was 2.04 ± 1.60 s in elderly participants and 1.27 ± 0.27 s in young participants. In the elderly group, the post-intervention LSR (day 21) was 1.47 ± 1.05 the follow-up LSR (day 28) was 1.99 ± 1.80 s (p = 0.044 and 0.502, respectively, compared to pre-intervention). In the young group, the post-intervention and follow-up LSR values were 1.07 ± 0.20 s and 1.04 ± 0.10 s, respectively (p = 0.016 and 0.038, respectively, compared to pre-intervention). Swallowing function was improved by pickled Napa cabbage containing capsaicin, but capsaicin supplementation may need to be maintained to have an ongoing effect.

Targeting Chemosensory Ion Channels in Peripheral Swallowing-Related Regions for the Management of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

“…The effects of chronic TRPV1 agonist ingestion on swallowing have been investigated both in healthy participants without oropharyngeal dysphagia and in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia with different etiologies ( Table 2 ). In healthy older and young participants with no swallowing difficulties, the chronic supplementation of capsaicin-containing pickled cabbage before every major meal for 20 days reduced the latency to evoke swallowing in response to a glucose solution delivered to the pharynx [ 136 ]. One week after the supplementation had ended, the effects of capsaicin supplementation remained in young participants but had faded out in older participants [ 136 ].…”

“…In healthy older and young participants with no swallowing difficulties, the chronic supplementation of capsaicin-containing pickled cabbage before every major meal for 20 days reduced the latency to evoke swallowing in response to a glucose solution delivered to the pharynx [ 136 ]. One week after the supplementation had ended, the effects of capsaicin supplementation remained in young participants but had faded out in older participants [ 136 ]. In a mid-term randomized controlled study, older patients with dysphagia associated with cerebrovascular diseases received chronic daily supplementation of lozenges containing a low concentration of capsaicin (1.5 µg/lozenge) before every major meal for 4 weeks [ 119 ].…”

Specific Vagus Nerve Lesion Have Distinctive Physiologic Mechanisms of Dysphagia

“…These hypotheses for the neural origin of kinematic differences between RLN and SLN lesioned pigs also suggest that different interventions may be effective to modify swallowing in each case. If the reduced sensitivity hypothesis is correct for explaining the patterns we see in the SLN lesioned animals, then either controlling bolus volume directly through regulated feeding, or increasing sensitivity of the valleculae by using other stimuli in conjunction with volume [i.e., capsaicin (31,32)] are likely to be most effective for restoring normal swallow function. In the case of RLN lesion, however, restoring something like normal function is likely to involve interventions that harness sensory motor mechanisms that establish coordination between tongue and pharyngeal components of swallowing, such as entrained milk delivery (28) or motor learning (33)(34)(35).…”

Carbonation as a sensory enhancement strategy: evidence for clinical implementation

“…Ebihara et al (2006) reported a reduced swallow onset time in older IWD with use of menthol and black pepper oil as well as reduced pneumonia rates in a subsequent study (Ebihara, Ebihara, Yamazaki, Asada, Yamanda, & Arai, 2010). Shin et al (2016) reported enhanced swallowing function in a healthy cohort of younger and older adults with capsaicin supplementation in the diet but the effect was not maintained after ingestion ceased. Despite the potential of SES involving agents which stimulate transient receptor potential channels, little is known about how these chemical SES stimuli elicit afferent nerve responses.…”