Professionals in dietitian jobs may soon be advising their patients to kick their meals up a notch, as a recent study has discovered adding spices to meals could cancel out the effects of high-fat foods."

Newsrt.co.uk revealed that the study, undertaken by academics at Pennsylvania State University, demonstrated adding spices like black pepper, cinnamon, paprika and turmeric could do more than just pep up the taste of a meal.

The spices could in fact "counter the negative effects of high-fat meals" by reducing the levels of triglycerides present. These are fat cells usually found within blood and their presences can be decreased by some 30 per cent when spices are added.

According to Independent.co.uk, the academics "fed six overweight but otherwise healthy men between the ages of 30 and 65 two separate meals that consisted of chicken curry, Italian herb bread and cinnamon biscuits."

Some of the meals contained spices including pepper, cloves, paprika and rosemary. Those who ate these meals experienced the positive effects, which also mean oxidative stress is reduced as well. This type of stress often contributes to the development of heart diseases and diabetes.

Adding spices to meals could really combat the risk of developing such diseases and others, like arthritis. Furthermore, other recent research found similar spices could "inhibit tissue damage...caused by high levels of blood sugar."