Eating chilli peppers could reduce your risk of dying from heart disease
| Dec 22, 2019, 07:00 IST
Reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by consuming chilli peppers, a new study claims. In a study that included almost 23,000 people, researchers found consuming chillies on a regular basis reduced the risk of stroke by 61 per cent and heart attack by 40 per cent. It also helped reduce the risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease by 44 per cent.
Why is it so powerful? Chilli peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which helps to reduce inflammation. "An interesting fact is protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed," first author Dr Marialaura Bonaccio, of the Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care (IRCCS) Neuromed in Molise, Italy, told a news portal.
Adding, "In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chilli pepper has a protective effect."
Some studies suggest chilli peppers may also reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes. This is because it can help give gut bacteria a boost and tackle obesity.
"Chilli pepper is a fundamental component of our food culture. We see it hanging on Italian balconies, and even depicted in jewels," Professor Licia Iacoviello, of the University of Insubria, Varese,told a news portal. Adding, "Over the centuries, beneficial properties of all kinds have been associated with its consumption, mostly on the basis of anecdotes or traditions, if not magic."
Another study found hot pepper consumption may help you live longer. "Although the mechanism by which peppers could delay mortality is far from certain, Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels, which are primary receptors for pungent agents such as capsaicin (the principal component in chilli peppers), may in part be responsible for the observed relationship," study authors from the University of Vermont stated.
Medical student Mustafa Chopan, who was part of the study, explained: "Because our study adds to the generalizability of previous findings, chilli pepper -- or even spicy food -- consumption may become a dietary recommendation and/or fuel further research in the form of clinical trials."
Picture Courtesy: Google Images
Why is it so powerful? Chilli peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which helps to reduce inflammation. "An interesting fact is protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed," first author Dr Marialaura Bonaccio, of the Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care (IRCCS) Neuromed in Molise, Italy, told a news portal.
Adding, "In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chilli pepper has a protective effect."
Some studies suggest chilli peppers may also reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes. This is because it can help give gut bacteria a boost and tackle obesity.
"Chilli pepper is a fundamental component of our food culture. We see it hanging on Italian balconies, and even depicted in jewels," Professor Licia Iacoviello, of the University of Insubria, Varese,told a news portal. Adding, "Over the centuries, beneficial properties of all kinds have been associated with its consumption, mostly on the basis of anecdotes or traditions, if not magic."
Another study found hot pepper consumption may help you live longer. "Although the mechanism by which peppers could delay mortality is far from certain, Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels, which are primary receptors for pungent agents such as capsaicin (the principal component in chilli peppers), may in part be responsible for the observed relationship," study authors from the University of Vermont stated.
Medical student Mustafa Chopan, who was part of the study, explained: "Because our study adds to the generalizability of previous findings, chilli pepper -- or even spicy food -- consumption may become a dietary recommendation and/or fuel further research in the form of clinical trials."
Picture Courtesy: Google Images