Chinese experiment
The way a person eats affects the state of his health, and therefore, life expectancy. A lot of research has been done on the impact of food on human health. Chinese scientists paid special attention to spices, namely, hot peppers.
The study was conducted over 7 years. All this time, a group of subjects several times a week ate dishes with hot peppers. Mortality among these people was lower by 14% compared with the control group. The results were published in the British Medical Journal. In the article, scientists suggested that this effect was achieved thanks to capsaicin, which is part of the chili pepper.
Features of the study
The study that was conducted by the Chinese is really surprising. At what not only the received results, but also scales. It involved 487 participants of different sexes aged 000-30 years. All of them lived in different regions of the country. Prior to the start of the study, each participant underwent a medical examination.
Only healthy Chinese people who did not suffer from cardiac pathologies and cancers were allowed to participate in the experiment. All of them provided the organizers of the study with information about their lifestyle and eating habits. Attention was paid to how often they consume spicy foods, where they work, how active they are physically. During the study, scientists selectively checked people for the veracity of the data they provided.
The results
During the 7 years of the experiment, 20224 people died. The risk of death in those people who ate spicy foods 3 times a week compared to those who ate them less than once a week was lower by 14%.
If a person included chili peppers in the menu at least 1-2 times a week, then this risk was reduced to 10%. Gender does not matter in this regard. Dependence was the stronger, the less often a person drank alcohol. Smoking, body weight and level of physical activity did not affect life expectancy.
If a person ate chili peppers fresh rather than dried, then the results were much more impressive. Scientists explain this fact by the fact that capsaicin is contained in a fresh vegetable more than in a dried product.
This experiment is not a direct guide to getting people around the world to start eating chili peppers. It is necessary to take into account the state of health and the characteristics of the national cuisine of a particular country. It is possible that in another corner of the world a similar experiment will show completely different results.