New research shows that eating red hot chili peppers can increase the lifespan. The research analyzed the data of more than 16,000 Americans and it found out that those who eat spicy food regularly can reduce mortality risks by 13 percent.
Not everybody loves spicy food. However, the spicy food lovers enjoy several benefits from eating hot chili peppers. Not only can they increase longevity but as well it reduces cardiovascular malfunctions and prevents obesity.
“In this large prospective study, we observed an inverse relationship between hot red chili pepper consumption and all-cause mortality, after adjusting for potential confounders,” study researchers Mustafa Chopan and Benjamin Littenberg, from the University of Vermont, who conducted the new study wrote.
Spicy food is good for your health
The recent study analyzed data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. They examined 16,000 people looking for the mortality rate and the causes of death of the participants over 18.9 years.
After that, they concluded that those who ate red chili peppers regularly could live longer. They had 13 percent fewer risks of mortality especially regarding heart attacks and strokes compared to those who didn’t eat spicy food.
The study also suggests that the population that eats more red chili peppers tend to be the male, young, white, Mexican American people that consume alcohol and smoke cigarette. This population showed lower HDL-cholesterol.
This research was made by scientists from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and it was published in the journal PLoS ONE. It corroborates previous findings made in 2015 by researchers in China.
This research analyzed the chili pepper consumption patterns of 199,293 men and 288082 women with ages ranging between 30 and 79 at the moment the study began. They wanted to know how the consumption of chili peppers was linked to mortality, and they found out that there is an inverse relation between chili pepper consumption and mortality
“These results add to the literature by corroborating the main results of an earlier study. They are distinct in that they are drawn from a different population and thus support the generalizability of the protective effects of hot red chili peppers” stated the study.
Other benefits of hot chili peppers
But besides reducing risk mortality, especially linked to heart attacks, there are other benefits that will make you want to include spicy food in your diet.
These peppers, especially the capsaicin peppers which are the hottest of them all, are believed to be good in the treatment of diseases.
In 2012, a study stated that they can help reducing bad cholesterol in the arteries. As well, they may help to prevent obesity and to regulate coronary blood flow. It also has antimicrobial properties.
Scientists say more research need to be done to make sure what is behind the link. However, some say that the ingredients in red chili peppers have an important role in the molecular and cellular mechanisms that prevent such diseases from happening.
Source: Tech Times