If you’re a spice lover, we’ve got good news for you. The American Heart Association has released a report detailing that chili peppers can reduce your risk of heart disease and even extend your life.
Capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their kick, had previously been linked to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, but the new research on cardiovascular impacts specifically comes from an analysis of 4,729 studies from five leading global health databases.
The researchers compared records of more than 570,000 individuals with varying degrees of chili pepper consumption to establish that people who ate chili peppers regularly had a 26 percent relative reduction in cardiovascular mortality and 25 percent relative reduction in all-cause mortality.
Senior author of the study, Bo Xu, M.D., noted that the mechanisms behind chili peppers’ powers were still unknown, so further research has to be done to establish the connection between peppers and health more concretely.
We recommend consulting your doctor before making any major dietary changes, but this is certainly a reason to consider adding a little spice to your next meal.
