SPICING up your life with a regular dose of chilli slashes the risk of early death by a quarter, a study suggests.
It shows scoffing the fiery ingredient every other day cuts the chance of being killed by stroke by 61 per cent and heart attack by 40 per cent.
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Italian researchers followed more than 22,000 adults for an average of eight years.
They found people who ate chillies four times weekly were 23 per cent less likely to die young than those who avoided them.
Consuming the spicy pepper also cut risk of all forms of heart death by 34 per cent.
Lead researcher Marialaura Bonaccio, from Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care Neuromed in Pozzilli, said: “An interesting fact is that protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed.
“In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chilli pepper has a protective effect”.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology [pls keep], tracked what 22,811 people ate.
Expert think capsaicin, the compound which gives chilli peppers their heat, plays a key role in protecting health.
Several studies have linked the compound to improved heart function, as well as reducing inflammation and limiting the spread of cancer cells.
Fellow researcher Licia Iacoviello, a Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at the University of Insubria, said: “Chilli pepper is a fundamental component of our food culture.
“Over the centuries, beneficial properties of all kinds have been associated with its consumption, mostly on the basis of anecdotes or traditions, if not magic.
“And now we know that the various plants of the capsicum [pepper] species, although consumed in different ways throughout the world, can exert a protective action towards our health”.
Commenting on the research Dr Ian Johnson, nutrition researcher at Quadram Institute Bioscience, said chilli eaters may just be healthier overall.
He said: “This type of relationship suggests that chillies may be just a marker for some other dietary or lifestyle factor that hasn’t been accounted for.”
Tracy Parker, Senior Dietician at the British Heart Foundation said: “This study is sure to be a hot topic amongst fans of spicy food.
“Although it suggests that regularly eating chilli peppers could reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke, further research would be needed to confirm if chilli peppers really are a key ingredient for a well working ticker.”
