Another Study Finds Chili Peppers May Have A Significant Health Impact

Another study has linked chili peppers with health benefits, this one coming from the American Heart Association. According to preliminary research that was digitally presented last week, people who eat chili pepper may have a 'significantly reduced' risk of dying from cancer and heart disease, among other things.

This latest research involved analyzing thousands of existing studies, ultimately pulling data on more than 570,000 people in multiple countries whose health and dietary records were available. The researchers compared people who ate chili peppers with those who did not, finding that the spicey vegetable is linked to a number of potential benefits.

When compared to people who did not eat chili peppers, the study found that those who did had a 26-percent decrease in deaths due to cardiovascular reasons, a 25-percent decrease in all-cause mortality, and a 23-percent decrease in death from cancer.

The study's senior author Bo Xu, MD, explained:

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, CVD and cancer mortality. It highlights that dietary factors may play an important role in overall health.

The cardiologist notes that it's still a mystery why these peppers may offer such benefits, and therefore it can't yet be claimed conclusively that eating chili peppers frequently will help increase lifespan or reduce deaths from heart disease and cancer. Additional research is necessary to get a more complete look at the association between the peppers and health implications and to confirm whether these preliminary findings hold up.