LONDON (Reuters) - The curry has long been Britain's favorite ethnic food
and now scientists have found out why -- the spices are addictive.
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that eating a spicy curry
prompts the kind of physiological symptoms addictive substances often
provoke, including increases in the heartbeat and blood pressure.
And those who eat curries often build up a tolerance to spices, and crave hotter and hotter dishes, the experts found.
``What we are seeing is physiological and psychological effects combining to create an addiction,'' Professor Stephen Gray, who spearheaded the research, told the Times newspaper on Wednesday.
``Curry gives you a natural 'high' much more powerful than anything you get with traditional British foods,'' he added of the study, based on the responses of 100 volunteers aged from 10 to 80.
