Go for the vindaloo – it’ll do you good. Though you might question our intentions during tomorrow’s morning ablutions, our seemingly sad*stic advice has your longevity in mind. According to an Italian study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, those who consumed spicy chilli peppers more than four times a week had a 40 per cent lower chance of suffering a fatal heart attack. What’s more, the protective effects weren’t dependent on other dietary factors; the same benefits were recorded among people who stuck to a healthy Mediterranean diet and those who didn’t.
You might be the sweatiest one at the table during your next trip to Nando’s, but gritting your teeth and reaching for the hot sauce is a sensible choice. As you mop your brow with a napkin, you can remind everyone that upping your chilli consumption reduces your mortality risk from all causes by as much as 23 per cent.
A separate study in the BMJ backs up the findings, but with a catch. It found that chillies were able to offer some protection against a range of diseases – including lethal cancers – but consuming alcohol wiped out the benefits. If you can’t imagine hitting the Balti house without a few lagers to wash things down, slice some fresh chillies and throw them in your al-desko lunch. They’ll add an appetising twist to your pasta leftovers and may even help you push out a few more reps at the gym, according to researchers at the University of São Paulo. Fortune clearly favours the bold.
Deep-heat Treatment
Chillis have some potent effects on the rest of your body, too. Here’s our hotlist.
Nose
Hot sauce can melt away nasal congestion. In a study by the University of Cincinnati, nasal sprays containing capsaicin cleared up sinus inflammation most effectively.
Stomach
A few chillies with your lunch could help you resist the biscuit tin, come 3pm. Purdue University found that they decrease your appetite for salty, fatty and sweet foods.
Liver
Daily chilli consumption helps to repair liver damage and can stall the progression of liver fibrosis, according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver.
Gut
Cancer can’t handle the heat, either. University of California researchers found that capsaicin activates a receptor on cells in your intestine that helps to suppress tumours.
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