Study Finds Eating Chili Peppers Could Extend Your Life

Do you love eating hot chili peppers? It turns out you might be doing more than just pleasing your taste buds, according to early preliminary research.

A recent study carried out by the American Heart Association study took earlier research from multiple countries on chili peppers and analyzed it. The determination by the researchers was that people who regularly ate chili peppers were “associated with a 25% reduction in death from any cause.”

The paper, released last month, further found that frequent chili-pepper consumption may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 26% and “cause 23% fewer cancer deaths compared to people who never or only rarely consumed chili pepper,” the AHA said in a statement on the research.

The investigation for the research of the report included more than 4,000 studies from various countries which included at least 570,000 participants. Of these participants, they were geologically located in the United States, Italy, China, and Iran. The researchers compared the outcomes of those who consumed chili pepper to those who rarely or never ate chili peppers. Then compared individuals who rarely or never ate chili peppers, the analysis found that people who ate chili peppers had:

• A 26% relative reduction in cardiovascular mortality;
• A 23% relative reduction in cancer mortality; and
• A 25% relative reduction in all-cause mortality.

The American Heart Association expected to find health benefits from the chili peppers. Its well known that chili peppers serve as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory food, slowing damage to cells.

However, senior writer Dr. Bo Xu of the study, stated in the research they were “surprised to find that in these previously published studies, regular consumption of chili pepper was associated with an overall risk-reduction of all-cause, CVD [cardiovascular disease] and cancer mortality.”

A few research highlights according to the American Heart Association are as follows.

• Consumption of chili pepper may reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 26%, according to an analysis of diet and mortality data from four large, international studies.
• Chili pepper consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in death from any cause and 23% fewer cancer deaths, compared to people who never or only rarely consumed chili pepper.

The study seems to prove what the AHA said was a “significantly reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer” from regularly eating chili peppers. Dr. Xu, nevertheless, expressed that the “exact reasons and mechanisms” for the results are unknown, and further research is needed to confirm the initial study. In other words, the researchers cannot say for certain that eating chili peppers will extend a person’s lifetime. But initial results seem to suggest that is the case.

The preliminary research was presented virtually at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020 on November 13-17th. The event was seen as a “premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research, and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science for health care worldwide.”