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How hot chilli could help you live longer
Vermont University studied 16,000 people and tracked them for 23 years
Study found consumption of hot red chillies associated with reduced mortality
Most common diseases spicy food warded off were heart conditions and stroke
If you like curry then there is now even more reason to tuck in - it could help you live longer.
People who ate hot chilli peppers were 13 per cent less likely to die than those who did not.
The most common diseases that spicy food seemed to ward off were heart conditions and stroke.
A study found that people who ate hot chilli peppers were 13 per cent less likely to die than those who did not (file photo)
A study said that diners get the benefit so long as they are eating hot peppers, meaning that anything from curry to Mexican food could give you the benefit.
Spicy food has long been thought to be beneficial in the treatment of diseases but only one previous study looked at its relationship with mortality.
The researchers from Vermont University in the US looked at study which examined the eating habits of 16,000 Americans who were tracked for 23 years.
Over that time 4,946 people died.
Total mortality for participants who consumed hot red chilli peppers was 21.6 per cent compared to 33.6 per cent for those who did not, a difference of 12 per cent.
Adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics, the difference was 13 per cent.
Medical student Mustafa Chopan and Professor of Medicine Benjamin Littenberg found that the lifestyle of the typical person who ate chilli peppers did not give any particular sign as to why they lived longer.
The analysis found they were more likely to be younger, male and married.
They were also more likely to drink alcohol, eat more vegetables and meats, had lower cholesterol, lower income and be less educated
How chemical compound capsaicin makes chilli so fiery
Research by Vermont University in the US, found that consumption of hot red chillies was associated with reduced mortality (file photo)
Instead the findings suggested that something on the outer surface of cells in the human body called Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels, could be responsible.
They are the primary receptors for pungent agents such as capsaicin, the principal component in chili peppers.
The study said: ‘In this large population-based prospective study, the consumption of hot red chili pepper was associated with reduced mortality. Hot red chili peppers may be a beneficial component of the diet’.
The previous study which looked into hot peppers and mortality was published in China in 2015.
Source: Daily Mail