19th December 2019
Eating spicy food could be good for your heart, new research suggests. But is the story as hot as it seems? We look behind the headlines.
People who frequently eat chilli are less likely to die from fatal heart attacksor stroke, according to new research from Italy. It found people who ate chilli at least four times a week were 44 per cent less likely to die from coronary heart disease and 61 per cent less likely to die of a stroke, compared with those who ate chilli rarely or never.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also found that people who ate foods containing chilli pepper at least four times a week had lower death rates overall, across the follow-up period of eight years on average.
The health benefits of chillies are thought to be due to capsaicin, the compound that makes them hot. There is already some evidence that it can help with other health issues including weight loss, but until now there has been very little solid evidence linking it to lower death rates.
How good was the research?
The data is quite recent (people were followed up until the end of 2015) and they looked at a large number of men and women – almost 23,000, all from a specific area of southern Italy. The researchers used data from an existing study and excluded people who had unreliable medical or dietary questionnaires, or who they had inadequate information about.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that although a large number of people were studied, there were a much smaller number of deaths in the time period – 1,236. Of those deaths, 162 were due to coronary heart diseaseand 96 were due to stroke. So the findings are based on relatively small numbers of deaths.
The study doesn’t differentiate between different types of chilli, and it doesn’t consider what quantity of chilli people ate...
It’s also important to remember that this kind of study is observational, which means it can’t prove that eating chilli caused the results, it can only show an association.
Participants were asked about their diet through a questionnaire, which can be an unreliable way to discover people’s eating habits as it relies on their memory. They were asked how many times a week they ate foods containing chilli: never, up to two times a week, two to four times, or more than four times. This could be difficult to answer accurately, especially if they don’t always cook their own food, as they might not know whether chilli is in these meals.
The study doesn’t differentiate between different types of chilli peppers, and it doesn’t consider what quantity of chilli people ate, only how often they ate it.
Participants’ lifestyle, dietary and medical information was only recorded at the start of the study, so their intakes and health conditions could have changed during the eight-year follow-up, which might have affected the survey results.
It also suggests that people who were following a more traditional Mediterranean dietseemed to benefit less than those who weren’t. This could mean it is how chillies are used as part of an overall diet and lifestyle that makes a difference.
For example, the researchers found that people who ate chilli more regularly also had a better diet and had more polyphenols (beneficial compounds found in fruit and vegetables) and other antioxidants in their diet, possibly because they were eating more herbs and spices and may have been eating more fresh foods such as vegetables.
The BHF view
Our Senior Dietitian, Tracy Parker, said: “This study is sure to be a hot topic amongst fans of spicy food. Although it suggests that regularly eating chilli peppers could reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke, further research would be needed to confirm if they are really a key ingredient for a healthy heart.
“Those who prefer milder meals will be pleased to know that eating a balanced diet, staying activeand not smokingis still the surest way to protect against heart and circulatory diseases.”
How did the media cover the story?
The story was widely covered, for example in The Telegraph, Metro, and The Sun.
Some of the stories suggested the research could prove cause and effect, which is not the case. For example, The Sun article said eating chilli four times a week ‘HALVES risk of heart attack and stroke’. It also suggests that eating chilli pepper ‘every other day cuts the chance of being killed by stroke by 61 per cent and heart attack by 40 per cent.’ “Every other day” is a bit of journalistic licence: the study doesn’t differentiate between eating chilli four times in one day or spread through the week, so this may be a bit misleading.
The Daily Mail article rightly pointed out that the research did not prove chillies helped the heart, and also that the study took people’s weight into account – so we know that the benefit did not come from the fact that chilli might help with weight loss.
- Watch our video to find out more about the Mediterranean diet
