The Food That Seems to Make you Live Longer
How could anyone have known this?
Remember when Ponce de Leon landed on America’s shores in 1513, seeking out the fountain of youth?
I wonder if he discovered chili peppers?
There was a recent massive study that has indicated some major health benefits from eating chili pepper. Yes, chili peppers, of all things!
Preliminary results have concluded that when you eat these bad boys regularly, you’ll enjoy a much lower risk of cancer, heart disease, and just plain live longer.
Waiting for the Final Verdict
We can’t get too excited yet, though. These results are still awaiting official evaluation, after which they will be published in the appropriate academic journal. However, these findings will be presented during an upcoming American Heart Association (AHA) conference.
The encouraging part of the study was the expansive data set that was generated. Researchers compiled over 4,700 studies on health outcomes, including chili peppers' addition to study participants' diets. And there were over 570,000 participants.
“We 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, [cardiovascular disease] and cancer mortality,” said Dr. Bo Xu, who was the senior study author and a cardiologist from the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, in a recent AHA press release. “It highlights that dietary factors may play an important role in overall health.”
Apparent reduction in relative health risks
The findings discovered that people who eat chili peppers enjoyed a 26% lower relative risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who rarely ate them. Additionally, they have a 23% drop in suffering from cancer death.
Perhaps the most notable of their findings was the 25% risk reduction of death from any cause at all. This can only conclude that chili peppers seem to let you live longer.
They did stress, however, that these numbers pertain to relative risks instead of absolute risks. It is not implying that eating chili peppers gives you a 26% less chance of dying from heart disease; rather your chances of dying are 26% less than the group of people who do not eat them — a noteworthy distinction.
“The exact reasons and mechanisms that might explain our findings, though, are currently unknown,” Dr. Xu stated in his press release. “Therefore, it is impossible to conclude that eating more chili pepper can prolong life and reduce deaths, especially from cardiovascular factors or cancer. More research, especially evidence from randomized controlled studies, is needed to confirm these preliminary findings.”
Sources
American Heart Association. (November 9, 2020). People Who Eat Chili Pepper May Live Longer — Reduced Risk of Dying From Cardiovascular Disease or Cancer. https://scitechdaily.com/people-who-eat-chili-pepper-may-live-longer-reduced-risk-of-dying-from-cardiovascular-disease-or-cancer/.
