Eating chili peppers more than four times a week
People who eat chili peppers more than four times a week have a roughly 23% lower chance of dying during the same period compared to those who rarely eat them; their risk of dying from cardiovascular causes is about one-third lower.
There is no cost and it doesn’t take any extra time.
One Italian study followed 22,800 people for an average of 8.2 years;
There is no cost and it doesn’t take any extra time.
One Italian study followed 22,800 people for an average of 8.2 years; 1,236 participants died over that time. Those who ate chili peppers four or more times a week had a 23% lower risk of death than those who rarely ate them (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.66–0.90). Their risk of cardiovascular death was also about 34% lower (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50–0.86).
Bonaccio M, Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, et al. (2019). Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality in Italian Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 74(25), 3139-3149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.068
Open source linkThere is some debate: this research was conducted within the context of a Mediterranean diet, so chili eaters may simply follow a diet that aligns more closely with local traditional eating habits. Additionally, people with gastroesophageal reflux, hemorrhoids, or irritable bowel syndrome may experience worsened symptoms from eating chili peppers; they don’t need to force themselves to eat it.