New Delhi: Some people enjoy spicy food and then others despise it. But for a large group of people, spices and tangy curries are the fun of life and they might be the only way that food might appeal to one. However, one rarely realises that there could also be a few health benefits of the same – and this goes beyond weight loss. While it is known that capsaicin in chilies kick start metabolism and speed up weight loss, the same can also be beneficial for the heart.
How does spicy food improve heart health?
A balanced, healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, can work wonders for overall health. According to studies, eating chilli peppers could be key to a healthy heart, and there are other benefits on offer as well. Experts say that the same, weight loss-friendly compound known as capsaicin, also has cholesterol-lowering properties that can curb arthritis and cancer risk. According to a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2019, eating chilli peppers regularly could help lower the risk of dying because of heart disease.
As a part of the study, scientists also anaylsed the health and diet records of over 22000 people residing in South Italy and they were followed for an average of eight years. It was also found that people eating these peppers over four times a week were two-thirds less likely to die because of cardiovascular crisis than those who rarely ate hot peppers. The protective benefits were relevant irrespective of whether or not one follows a Mediterranean diet, a regime that is largely famed for its benefits to the heart.
Across several studies, it was found that spicy food is associated with a lower overall risk of all-cause death and heart disease-related deaths. Experts also found that compared with people who did not regularly eat spicy food, regular consumers witnessed a 12% dip in the risk of all-cause mortality. Furthermore, eating spicy food led to a significant dip in death because of heart problems. A study published in Molecules journal in 2022 also found that capsaicin could prevent obesity and it is credited to the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties in it. This fights high cholesterol and obesity and may also treat arthritis-related pain.
A balanced, healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, can work wonders for overall health. According to studies, eating chilli peppers could be key to a healthy heart, and there are other benefits on offer as well. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
