A study on the dietary data of about 487,375 people in China found that eating spicy food can reduce a person’s mortality risk by 14 percent.
Published in the British Medical Journal this month, the expansive observational study followed the diets of nearly half-a-million people. The research, conducted by an international team led by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, took place over seven years during which 20,224 of its subjects died.
SPICY FOODS CAN REDUCE RISK OF DEATH BY 14%
In a statement, the BMJ said: “Compared with participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods one or two days a week were at a 10 percent reduced risk of death.”
In those eating spicy foods six or seven times a week, the risk of death was was reduced by 14 percent. Health benefits of the food were stronger in those that did not consume alcohol, and occurred at generally similar levels in men and women. Interestingly, while women who ate more spicy food were 45% less at risk of dying by infection-related causes than those who ate them less than once weekly, while no connection between the two factors was found in men.
THE MEANING OF THE DATA
The researchers warned against drawing conclusions from the data. As the U.S. National Library of Medicine pointed out, observational studies “are good at finding possible links between factors such as diet and health” but do not necessarily prove links between them.
The NLM also noted that people living in rural China have a much different lifestyle from those in the rural U.S. or U.K. “Eating some of the same foods may not have the same results if lots of other things about your life are different,” the library said in a statement.
WHAT IS CAPSAICIN?
It is thought that the cause of the benefits of these foods is capsaicin, the component in chili peppers that “makes them hot” according to Everyday Health. Aside from apparently lowering mortality risk, capsaicin is also known to have anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-obesity features.
“Overall, this study adds to emerging evidence that capsaicin in chilli pepper may have a positive effect,” the NLM said. “We now need to see studies in populations outside China to be sure the findings apply to the rest of the world.
You can read the report for free on BMJ’s website.
>Learn more about the health benefits of carbs–yes, carbohydrates.
If your vice is spicy food, maybe Pavlok would work for you:
Spicy Foods Can Reduce Risk of Death
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