Eat chili peppers more than 4 times a week

Top value
Evidence B
Buys life
Disputed
Free
Takes minutes
No willpower

In plain words

People who eat chili peppers more than 4 times a week have about a 23% lower chance of dying over the same period than people who rarely eat them, and about a third lower cardiovascular death.

Cost: Free, and it takes no time.
What you get: An Italian study of 22,800 (2.28万) people, half of whom were followed for the full 8.2 years, with 1236 deaths in all. People who ate chili peppers more than 4 times a week had about 23% lower risk of death than people who rarely ate them (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.66–0.90, the plausible range). Cardiovascular death was about 34% lower (0.66, 0.50–0.86)
Notes: The dispute is that this is a follow-up record made against a Mediterranean diet background, and people who eat spicy food may have diets closer to the local traditional pattern overall. Also note that people with gastroesophageal reflux, hemorrhoids or irritable bowel will have worse symptoms from spicy food and shouldn't force themselves
Evidence grade: B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources: Bonaccio M, Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, et al. (2019). Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality in Italian Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 74(25), 3139-3149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.068

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 2, tip 33. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer