Curry really could be the spice of life after scientists discovered that eating hot food regularly can lower the risk of dying prematurely.
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Compared with participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods one or two days a week had a 10 per cent lower risk of death. They did determine that those who ate spicy foods six or seven days a week were 29 percent less likely to die of respiratory diseases, 22 percent less likely to succumb from coronary artery disease, and 8 percent less apt to die from cancer.
The association was similar in men and women, and stronger in those who did not consume alcohol.
A study involving half a million people by Harvard and Peking university researchers has found those who eat spicy foods every day have a 14 per cent lower risk of death than those who eat it less than once a week. In particular, capsaicin – the ingredient that gives chili peppers their bite – has been shown to fight inflammation, high blood pressure, obesity and cancer, among other ills.
The researchers don’t know why exactly the consumption of spicy food may be linked to lower mortality, but previous research on cells and animals has suggested several possible mechanisms, Qi said.
The findings of the observational study aren’t definite but researchers say it’s a good sign for chilli lovers. Fresh and dried chili peppers were the most frequently used types of spices among the people who ate spicy food at least once a week, the researchers said. But they caution against linking any of these with lowering the risk of death. The people, who were between the ages of 30 and 79 at the onset, participated in the China Kadoorie Biobank health study between 2004-2008.
The authors stressed that because they had only looked at broad statistical trends, and not at the exact role spice had played in each case, they could draw no concrete conclusions about cause and effect.
Spicy food in the diet seems to contribute to longevity, a study of thousands of people in a Chinese registry finds. Such results are very intriguing, and while the small scope as well as early stage of the study did not prove any definitive evidence, there is enough of a connection for further explanation.
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In the study, the researchers also asked the participants to specify the main sources of spices they typically used, allowing them to choose between fresh chili pepper, dried chili pepper, chili sauce and chili oil. Each participant was questioned about their general health and eating habits, and then tracked over the following seven years, in which time 20,224 of them died.
