The secret to longevity might be in your next take-out order.
Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020 suggests individuals who regularly consume chilli not only live longer, but have a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Researchers screened over 4,000 studies from leading global health databases, examining the records of more than 570,000 individuals from the United State, Italy, China and Iran – and the findings were fascinating.
In the groups of people who regularly consumed chilli, researchers observed:
- 26% reduction in cardiovascular mortality;
- 23% reduction in cancer mortality;
- 25% reduction in all-cause mortality.
Diet critical to overall health
The study’s senior author Dr Bo Xu, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute in the USA, said the study highlights just how important a role dietary factors can play in our overall health.
“The exact reasons and mechanisms that might explain our findings, though, are currently unknown. Therefore, it is impossible to conclusively say that eating more chili pepper (sic) can prolong life and reduce deaths, especially from cardiovascular factors or cancer,” he said.
But the researchers are hopeful more studies will confirm these early findings.
So next time you order out, don’t skimp on the spice!
