Can Chili Peppers Save Your Life?

Capsaicin to the Rescue

Do you like spicy food? Then here’s some great news. A study released last week shows how hot peppers are a huge health booster. But not just a tiny boost. They found some massive effects of eating chili pepper.

This is just a license to burn the food world down. Sriracha on all the things!

The new information confirms and expands what we already knew from previous studies. It’s long been known that eating chili pepper has an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. It also seems to help fight cancer and regulate blood glucose.

Capsaicin, the part of the hot pepper that gives us the burn, is the main culprit. Peppers are also loaded with other nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins, but we usually don’t eat hot peppers in large enough amounts to get a good dose.

What the study found

Here are some research highlights from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Report, Presentation P1036,

To make their conclusions, researchers examined 4,729 studies previously completed.

“The health and dietary records of more than 570,000 individuals in the United States, Italy, China and Iran were used to compare the outcomes of those who consumed chili pepper to those who rarely or never ate chili pepper.” — American Heart Association

It’s a straight-up comparison: regular chili pepper consumers vs. those who usually didn’t spicy foods. They found huge benefits to spicy food. Not just a tiny difference. Huge!

Capsaicin for the win

They found a 26% possible reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality, as well as 25% reduction in death from any cause. And finally, the data showed them 23 percent fewer cancer deaths.

Let that sink in. Basically, eating hot peppers regularly reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer by around 25% compared to if you ate none. A 25% difference.

This isn’t some tiny study with twelve individuals. They correlated data on over 570,000 people. This makes the conclusions even more compelling.

How to get more pepper in your life

This is a no brainer. Adding some spice to your food is a healthy thing. It can counter the effects of other things in the diet that are not so good, like cholesterol and salt.

The study doesn’t tell us how much we need. However, it doesn’t mention anything about maxing out on the heat and nearly cooking your brain. You don’t have to grab habaneros by the handful or pour sriracha in your coffee.

If you are new to spice, take it easy to start with. Maybe it’s an acquired taste, but most people can build up a tolerance for a bit fairly quickly. Start by picking hot wings instead of barbeque flavor. Add extra cayenne pepper to your soup or chili. Sprinkle ground chili peppers on pizza.

If you go to a restaurant, opt for the spicy dish on the menu. Don’t stay safe and boring, especially now that you know it will see you die sooner.

How to eat more pepper and keep cool

The first tip is to go slow. Don’t get too much spice in your mouth at once. Savor it slowly. It can last up to 15 minutes before it stops tingling.

The feeling is your pain receptors being turned on, not actual heat, so you don’t have to worry about it damaging you unless you go after the really potent, dangerous varieties. Even then, you will most likely live to tell the tale. Ask me sometime about the infamous Industrial Strength Hot Wings of 2001.

Went too far and you’re on fire? Don’t bother with drinking water, that won’t help. Grab a piece of bread or an ice cube. While chewing that, think about the texture and let the burn subside.

Dairy products can help to neutralize the burn. Milk, sour cream, or products with cheese in them can help take the heat back down a notch. Some find that carbonated drinks help too.

Don’t start with ghost peppers

If you don’t eat spicy food very often, use some common sense. Otherwise, you will be in for a world of painful, burning hurt. Enough said?

Sounds like the perfect time to get a big pot of chili on the stove. Add some chili powder or fresh jalapenos while it cooks to get that heat built-in deep.

Feel the burn!