This Morning: Dr Chris discusses rise in heart disease deaths We are all well aware of the impact our diet has on our health. Many of us know that eating a healthy, balanced diet packed with fruits and vegetables can help lower our risk for certain conditions. But what is perhaps less known is the potential health benefits of a specific fruit, mostly used as an ingredient to add a spicy kick to meals.
According to various studies, chilli peppers could hold the key to a healthy heart among other benefits. It is thought this is mainly due to a compound found in chillies known as capsaicin, which is known to have cholesterol lowering properties and even lower the risks of cancer and arthritis . One scientific paper, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2019, concluded that people who eat chilli peppers on a regular basis appear to lower their risk of dying from heart disease.
READ MORE Urgent UKHSA warning as whooping cough cases rise to over 10,000 Adding chilli pepper to your food could help protect your heart from disease (Image: Getty) As part of 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 discovered 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.