Eating spicy food may increases longevity of life, says study
Posted on: 24/Jan/2017 12:39:53 PM
A study conducted by researchers at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont has found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13 percent reduction in total mortality, primarily in deaths due to heart disease or stroke. The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Using National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III data, collected from more than 16,000 Americans, who were followed for up to 23 years, researchers examined the baseline characteristics of the participants, according to hot red chili pepper consumption. They found that consumers of hot red chili peppers tended to be younger, male, white, Mexican-American, married, and to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and consume more vegetables and meats, had lower HDL- cholesterol, lower income, and less education, in comparison to participants who did not consume red chili peppers.
The study says, Although the mechanism by which peppers could delay mortality is far from certain, Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels, which are primary receptors for pungent agents such as capsaicin (the principal component in chili peppers), may in part be responsible for the observed relationship. Capsaicin, the principal component in chili peppers, is believed to play a role in cellular and molecular mechanisms that prevent obesity and modulate coronary blood flow, and also possesses antimicrobial properties that may indirectly affect the host by altering the gut microbiota.
Say the researchers, Because our study adds to the generalisability of previous findings, chili pepper, or even spicy food, consumption may become a dietary recommendation and/or fuel further research in the form of clinical trials.
