21 hours Ago By [email protected] (Fiona Callingham)
A popular spice could help lower cholesterol levels and even protect against cancer, according to research. This tasty fruit is packed with a compound known to provide multiple health benefits. Studies have shown that chilli peppers could hold the key to a healthy heart, among other benefits.
This is due to a compound found in chillies, known as capsaicin. Capsaicin, which is responsible for making chillies spicy, has cholesterol-lowering properties and could even help lower the risks of cancer and arthritis. One study, published in the journal in 2022, highlighted the affect capsaicin can have on cholesterol.
As part of the study, the team analysed nine controlled trials that included 461 patients with metabolic syndrome - a group of health problems that put you at risk of type 2 diabetes or conditions that affect your heart or blood vessels. It found that taking capsaicin “significantly” reduced both total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol). Study authors concluded: “Capsaicin (CAP) supplementation is a promising approach to decreasing total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in patients with metabolic syndrome.
However, short-term (less than 12 weeks) use of CAP in women may also reduce triglycerides [a type of fat found in the blood] levels.” Other studies have reported that chillies and capsaicin can reduce the risk of heart disease. One, published in the in 2019, showed that people who eat chilli peppers on a regular basis appear to lower their risk of dying from heart disease.
For the study, researchers analysed the diets and health records of more than 22,000 people living in southern Italy and followed them for an average time period of just over eight years. It was revealed that people who ate chilli peppers more than four times a week were about one-third less likely to die of heart disease than those who rarely or never ate the spicy-hot peppers. This protective benefit was found whether or not the participants also followed a Mediterranean-style diet or a less healthy diet.
The study authors said: “In a large adult Mediterranean population, regular consumption of chilli pepper is associated with a lower risk of total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death independent of CVD risk factors or adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Known biomarkers of CVD risk only marginally mediate the association of chilli pepper intake with mortality.” Separate research, published in journal in 2021, analysed four existing studies that looked at spicy food (chilli pepper, chilli sauce, or chilli oil) consumption and the link between cardiovascular disease.
Combined, the studies looked at 564,748 participants over an average duration of 9.7 years. The study authors found that spicy food was linked to a lower risk of all-cause death as well as cardiovascular disease-related death.
They noted: “The pooled data suggested that compared with people who did not regularly consume spicy food, regular consumers of spicy food experienced a 12 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality. “Moreover, spicy food consumption was associated with significant reduction in the risk of death from cardiac diseases, but not from cerebrovascular disorders.” They added: “In conclusion, available epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of spicy chilli food is associated with reduced risk of all-cause as well as heart disease-related mortality.
Further studies in different populations are needed to confirm this association.” Another study, found in journal in 2022, said that capsaicin which is found in chillies could help prevent obesity. It added that capsaicin had anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
The study said: “Capsaicinoids act against high cholesterol levels and obesity, show anticancer effects, and are used to treat arthritis pain.”.
