RELATED: Taking This Supplement Daily Slashes Your Risk of Heart Attack, Study Says. A 2019 Italian study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analyzed the impact of chili peppers on the risk of death from a heart attack. The researchers used data from more than 22,800 participants enrolled in the Moli-sani study, a population cohort that recruited men and women at random between March 2005 and April 2015. For the 2019 study, the participants’ health status was followed for about eight years and compared with their eating habits. The Italian researchers found that those who were regularly consuming chili peppers at least four times a week or more had a 40 percent lower risk of dying from a heart attack than those who rarely ate this food. RELATED: If You Have This Blood Type, Your Heart Disease Risk Is Higher, New Study Says. The researchers didn’t stop at looking for health benefits in relation to heart attacks. According to the study, people who ate chili peppers four times a week or more were also 60 percent less likely to die from cerebrovascular disease such as stroke compared to those who did not regularly eat these peppers.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The researchers did not examine exactly why chili peppers could potentially have a positive impact on heart health, but certain experts believe that capsaicin, the active ingredient that gives chilis their fiery heat, might be the reason. “Some data show how capsaicinoids [a class of compounds that includes capsaicin] may have an impact on platelet function [to help your body form clots to stop bleeding], the cells lining the blood vessels, and reduction in insulin resistance,” Jeffrey Teuteberg, MD, a cardiologist at Stanford Health Care, who was not involved in the study, told Everyday Health. You may not have to change your entire diet either. Eating chili peppers at least four times a week can have a risk-reducing impact for you, even if you don’t follow a typical “healthy diet,” according to the study. “An interesting fact is that protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed,” lead study author Marialaura Bonaccio, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Mediterranean Neurological Institute, said in a statement. She added, “In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chili pepper has a protective effect.” RELATED: For more health news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Meanwhile, other experts who were not involved in the study have cast some doubt on this. Duane Mellor, RD, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School in the UK, told CNN that the study did “not show a causal link” between chili consumption and health benefits, and that the positive effect could likely be attributed to how peppers are used in an overall diet. “It is plausible people who use chillies, as the data suggests also used more herbs and spices, and as such likely to be eating more fresh foods including vegetables,” he said. “So, although chillies can be a tasty addition to our recipes and meals, any direct effect is likely to be small and it is more likely that it makes eating other healthy foods more pleasurable.” Health experts specifically advise against just adding these peppers into your diet rather than making it healthier overall. “While chili peppers appear to be heart healthy, it’s important to understand that you can’t just squirt a little hot sauce on your cheeseburger and call it good,” Sarah Samaan, MD, a cardiologist with Baylor Scott & White Legacy Heart Center, who was not involved in the research, told Everyday Health. “Making chili peppers one part of a heart healthy diet will take you much further down the road to good health.” RELATED: This Is The Single Best Way to Predict Your Heart Attack Risk, Experts Say.
