Study: Eating chili peppers may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke

Eating chili peppers may be good for heart health, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
study showed that people who ate chili peppers had a 23 percent lower risk of dying from a variety of causes than those who did not.
who ate chili peppers more than four times a week were 40 percent less likely to die of a fatal heart attack, 44 percent less likely to die from ischemia heart disease, and more than 60 percent less likely to die from a stroke.
, an epidemiologist at the Italian Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care (IRCCS), says chili peppers protect people regardless of their type of diet.
her team followed the Moli-sani study, an Italian health project.
the study surveyed 22,811 residents in Italy's Moritz region and followed them about eight years later.
study found that people who ate chili peppers at least four times a week were much less likely to die within the next eight years than their peers who rarely ate them.
the health benefits of chili peppers are that they contain capsaicin, a chemical that provides calories and reduces inflammation, according to researchers.
, however, Duane Mellor, a nutritionist and senior researcher at Aston Medical School, said the findings were interesting but did not show a direct causal relationship between eating chili peppers and health.
Meyler says the direct impact of chili peppers on human health may be small, but the data suggest that people who like to eat chili peppers are often more likely to eat fresh food, and that chili peppers can make people easier to eat other healthy foods, so people who like to eat spicy food may be healthier.
is not the first study to point to the health benefits of chili peppers.
previous studies have shown that chili peppers can help prevent cancer and diabetes to some extent, act as a painkiller and fight obesity.