The Association of Hot Red Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality: A Large Population-Based Cohort Study

Abstract

The evidence base for the health effects of spice consumption is insufficient, with only one large population-based study and no reports from Europe or North America. Our objective was to analyze the association between consumption of hot red chili peppers and mortality, using a population-based prospective cohort from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III, a representative sample of US noninstitutionalized adults, in which participants were surveyed from 1988 to 1994. The frequency of hot red chili pepper consumption was measured in 16,179 participants at least 18 years of age. Total and cause-specific mortality were the main outcome measures. During 273,877 person-years of follow-up (median 18.9 years), a total of 4,946 deaths were observed. Total mortality for participants who consumed hot red chili peppers was 21.6% compared to 33.6% for those who did not (absolute risk reduction of 12%; relative risk of 0.64). Adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics, the hazard ratio was 0.87 (P = 0.01; 95% Confidence Interval 0.77, 0.97). Consumption of hot red chili peppers was associated with a 13% reduction in the instantaneous hazard of death. Similar, but statistically nonsignificant trends were seen for deaths from vascular disease, but not from other causes. In this large population-based prospective study, the consumption of hot red chili pepper was associated with reduced mortality. Hot red chili peppers may be a beneficial component of the diet.

Characterization of hot pepper spice phytochemicals, taste compounds content and volatile profiles in relation to the drying temperature

“…The phytochemical profile of this spice is characterized by the presence of molecules belonging to several chemical groups, acknowledged for their antioxidant activity (Zhuang, Chen, Sun, & Cao, ), with diverse health‐promoting properties, such as capsaicinoids, flavonoids, phenols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid (AsA), and tocopherols. Due to this diversity and abundance of phytochemical compounds, the role of hot pepper consumption in reducing mortality has been recently acknowledged (Chopan & Littemberg, ).…”

Ontogenetic Variation of Individual and Total Capsaicinoids in Malagueta Peppers (Capsicum frutescens) during Fruit Maturation

“…Capsaicinoids have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to their proven strong pharmacological properties. They can be used in pain relief, cancer prevention and weight reduction, and they also have gastrointestinal and cardiovascular benefits [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Data-driven analysis of biomedical literature suggests broad-spectrum benevolence of culinary herbs and spices

“…Going beyond the ability of spices to act as flavoring and antimicrobial agents [2], our studies show the broad-spectrum benevolence of spices through analysis of empirical data. Recent studies have shown the potential benefits of consumption of spices such as chillies through cohort studies [44] as well as the role of specific spice phytochemicals in their health effects [45]. Interestingly, the broad-spectrum benevolence score of a spice was not positively correlated with its phytochemical repertoire (S2 Fig) suggesting that richness in the phytochemical content itself does not explain its therapeutic value.…”