Chilli is a type of food that can be found easily on every meal in Indonesia. Aside from being used to add more flavour, there are many places that serves chilli dishes as the main menu. Its ‘hot’ sensation attracts lots and lots of people.

In the previous articles, it was explained that chili contains an active compound called ‘capsaicin’ which can have a positive effect on yourbody. In addition to being responsible for the spicy taste, capsaicin can also play a role in fighting cancer. Not only that, chili consumption is also often associated with a lower risk of mortality. This statement is supported by the results of a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In their study, the researchers conducted an analysis of populations in Europe and looked at the relationship between the risk of mortality related to cardiovascular disease and the level of consumption of chilli. The data of 22,811 participants with an average age over 35 years old were analysed in this study. During the 8.2 year follow-up period, the researchers collected information related to each participant's health history, lifestyle, and diet, including a questionnaire regarding the consumption of chilli. During this period, there were 1,236 participants who died.

It is known that there are 24.3% of participants who consume chilli four or more times a week, while 33.7% are known to rarely or even never consume chilli before. Those who frequently consume chilli are found to have a 23% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who rarely consume them. Looking at its relationship with heart disease, those who frequently consume chilli have a 34% lower risk of death from the disease. These benefits are found even though those who like spicy food tend to have a history of diabetes, hypertension, and a high BMI (heart disease factor).

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Bonaccio, M., Castelnuovo, A.D., Costanzo, S., et al (2019). Chilean Pepper Consumption and Mortality in Italian Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.068.
• Medical News Today - Could hot chili pepper reduce mortality risk (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327324.php#1, 23 December 2019.