More reason to eat spicy foods if you enjoy them: Increased intake of chili peppers was linked to a lower risk of dying in a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which included nearly 23,000 men and women ages 35 and older living in a southern Mediterranean region in Italy.
Those who reported eating chili peppers regularly—at least four times a week—were less likely to die from any cause or from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, or cerebrovascular disease over an average of eight years than people who ate chilis rarely or never.
The association was independent of other cardiovascular risk factors or how closely participants adhered to a Mediterranean diet overall. Randomized trials are needed, however, to confirm these potential chili-pepper benefits.
