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Scientists live longer thanks to chili consumption
There is a connection between our daily diet and our health. This has already been proven by numerous scientific studies. What is new, however, is the realization that life expectancy is rising as chilli consumption increases. Anyway, scientists from the University of Beijing, who published their findings in the "British Medical Journal". However, the backgrounds are still unclear.
Chili consumption is directly related to overall mortality, although it has not yet been conclusively clarified whether it is indeed a causal link, the researchers report to Professor Jun Lv of Peking University Health Science Center.
In the consumption of chili, the views are usually far apart. Some people just find chilli hot and unpleasant. Other people love the taste and swear by the positive health effects. Physicians noted that chilies actually seem to increase human life expectancy. (Image: gitusik / fotolia.com) In particular, capsaicin, but also other ingredients of the chili numerous health-promoting properties are attributed. The Chinese scientists have therefore investigated to what extent the consumption of fresh or dried chillies, chilli oil and chilli sauce influences the overall mortality.
Many potential health benefits are associated with chilies and their bioactive compound capsaicin, including antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as a positive influence on gut flora and preventative effects against obesity, reports Nita G. Forouhi of the University of Cambridge in an editorial to the current study. Apparently, chilies therefore also have an effect on total mortality, so that the risk of premature death is significantly reduced if consumption is high.
Almost half a million study participants
For their current study, the scientists used data from 199,293 men and 288,082 women who were between the ages of 30 and 79 at baseline. The subjects came from ten different regions in China. During the observation period (an average of 7.2 years), a total of 20,224 study participants (11,820 men and 8,404 women) died. The researchers had also recorded the consumption of spicy food in the form of dried or fresh chillies, chili oil and chili sauce and divided the subjects based on this in four different groups. In the first group, the consumption of spicy food was less than once a week.
Subjects of the second group ate by their own account for one to two days a week. In the third group, spicy meals were eaten weekly for three to five days, and in the fourth groups, subjects ate spicy food six to seven days a week.
Significantly reduced risk of overall mortality with high chili consumption
Compared to the study participants in the first group, the subjects with the highest consumption of spicy foods showed a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality within the study period, the researchers report.
This correlation has also been confirmed for specific causes of death such as coronary heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. Overall, the risk of death within the study period in the subjects with the highest chili consumption compared to those with the least consumption turned out to be 14 percent lower, the researchers write.
Also in the second and third group, the risk of death was significantly lower than in the first group. However, it can not automatically be concluded that there is a causal link that has some uncertainty about the data considered.
Causality not clear
While the huge sample size and the broad regional distribution are among the statistical strengths of the study, there are several weaknesses in the data. For example, only three other basic dietary factors were recorded (consumption of red meat, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit). Here, other eating habits that correlate with the consumption of spicy foods could have a significant impact on the lifespan, without these being recorded.
Chili consumption may just be a marker for eating other beneficial foods, explains Nita G. Forouhi. Also, the effect has been relativized, for example, with simultaneous consumption of alcohol. Thus, despite all the spicy food, the overall mortality among those who regularly consumed alcohol did not decline. Also, normal drinking habits may play a role, as it is very likely that beverages such as water or different types of tea will be consumed by those with higher chili intake in larger quantities. Accordingly, the causes for the altered overall mortality may be found in the drinking behavior.
Further studies are intended to investigate the benefits of spicy foods
Scientists conclude that more research is needed to determine if spicy food has the potential to improve health. It is also important to determine whether chilies directly affect health or may only be a marker of other factors that reduce mortality.
The current results are in any case a good basis for further research in this area. They form the basis for a hypothesis, which now needs further investigation, explain Professor Jun Lv and colleagues. In the end, the result might actually be that significantly more spicy food should be consumed to increase life expectancy. (sb, fp)