A new study, published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, has found that eating chilies could lower your death risk from stroke and heart attack.
Researchers conducted the study in Italy, where chilies are a commonly used ingredient, and compared the death risk of more than 23,000 people. Some participants are chilies, while some did not eat chilies.
The researchers monitored the participants’ health status and dietary habits for nearly eight years. They found that those who ate chilies at least four times a week had a 40 percent lower risk of death from a heart attack and stroke.
Lead study author Marialaura Bonaccio from the Mediterranean Neurological Institute (Neuromed) said, “An interesting fact is that protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed.
“In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them, chili pepper has a protective effect,” she added.
Director of the department of epidemiology and prevention at Neuromed Licia Iacoviello explained that chilies have certain beneficial effects on health, which have been passed down through Italian food culture.
“And now, as already observed in China and in the United States, we know that the various plants of the capsicum species, although consumed in different ways throughout the world, can exert a protective action towards our health,” said Iacoviello.
The researchers now plan to explore more and investigate how chilies actually cut down the death risk from stroke and heart attack.
However, some experts pointed out a few limitations of the study.
For instance, a registered dietician, Duane Mellor, said the study is interesting but it does not show a connection between chili intake and health benefits.
He said, “It is plausible people who use chilies, as the data suggests also used more herbs and spices, and as such likely to be eating more fresh foods including vegetables.” “So, although chilies can be a tasty addition to our recipes and meals, any direct effect is likely to be small and it is more likely that it makes eating other healthy foods more pleasurable,” he added.
