There’s some encouraging news for those of you who enjoy blazing-hot food: research from China suggests that adding a regular spicy meal to your diet can reduce the risk of mortality. The study was extensive in its scope – close to half a million people were surveyed – and the difference between those who live dangerously, and the “not so brave” category of people (as determined by the likes of Nando’s) was substantial.
The research was carried out over a period of seven years and involved 487,375 participants whose intake of spicy food was kept track of. The responses were “never” or “almost never”, “only occasionally”, “one or two days a week”, “three to five days a week”, or “six or seven days a week”. On average, those who ate spicy food six or seven days a week had a 14 percent lower mortality risk than those who never or almost never ate it; for those who had it once or twice a week, the reduction was 10 percent.
This isn’t conclusive proof that there’s a link between hot sambal and longer life, because other factors can’t be ruled out. Spicy food eaters tended to live in more rural areas, for example, and it could also be possible that some other accompanying food were the real reason for the discrepancy. Nevertheless, it’s something to bear in mind the next time you’re making a choice from a restaurant menu.
It’s not the first time scientists have suggested a link between health benefits and the humble chili, which has been variously promoted as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer agent down the years. However, no one has yet put together a truly scientific, laboratory-controlled experiment into the effects of spicy food – something that may now happen thanks to the newly published research.
The study was controlled to take into account factors such as family medical history, age, education, incidence of diabetes, smoking, and many other variables, though there’s still not enough data to make a ‘causal inference’ – that is, to say that hot and spicy foods can definitely help to avoid death for longer. But here’s to hoping! And pass the chili sauce!
Based on an article first published in the world’s premier meat-free lifestyle platform, www.KindMeal.my