A study published in the BMJ and led by the Peking University Health Science Centre in Beijing, has analysed the food and health details of nearly half a million Chinese people and determined that those eating spicier foods have tended to live longer. Here are the crucial stats:

– Those who ate spicy food six or seven times a week had a 14% reduced risk of dying compared with people who ate it once or less a week.

– Within women it correlated with a reduced risk of death from infection.

– It was also associated with a lower risk of death from cancer, respiratory diseases and respiratory illnesses n both sexes.

– The link was stronger if the test subject didn’t drink alcohol as well.

Featured Image VIA

Image VIA 

Despite these findings, the study was keen to stress that these results weren’t definitive and that eating spicy food may have other dietary connotations or lifestyle choices. For example:

In Chinese cuisine the cooking of chilli pepper and the production of chilli sauce and oil usually requires more oil, and intake of pungent foods may be accompanied by an increased intake of carbohydrate-rich foods such as rice to relieve the burning sensation.

So basically it can’t really be sure of anything. Great. However, this research is in keeping with previous literature on the topic, with capsaicin – the main ingredient of the chilli pepper – a major factor in this. It’s been linked with anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-hypertensive effects, which kinda makes it a no brainer that you should be eating chilli peppers regularly. The anti microbial function of spices has long been recognised too.

Basically, you should be eating spicy foods and if you’re not you’re a moron anyway because it’s well known that they’re completely delicious. Wise up fool. I mean if this orchestra can eat the world’s hottest chill then attempt to perform, then you can probably stuff a slightly less hot one one in your food a couple of times a week.