A new study has found eating chillies and spicy foods is linked to a longer life.
The study, conducted in China and published in the British Medical Journal, collated dietary data from almost 500,000 participants over seven years.
The results concluded that people who ate spicy or hot food once or twice a week, had a 10 per cent reduced risk of death during that period.
It also found that where there was an increase in chilli intake from three to seven days a week, there was a 14 per cent reduced risk of death.
The study followed 199, 293 men and 288, 082 women aged 30 to 79 in China, from 2004 to 2013 and found that during that time 20,224 people had died.
"Compared with participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods six or seven days a week showed a 14 per cent relative risk reduction in total mortality," Lu Qi from Harvard University and Jun Lv from Peking University wrote in the study.
Dietician Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos said the study found spicy food helped in prevention of chronic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease and even cancer.
The health benefits are attributed to Capsaisin, the element of the chilli which delivers the hot sensation.
The strength of Capsaisin varies considerably and is measured on a scale known as "Scoville Heat Units".
Dr Itsiopoulos said just adding chilli to your diet would not be a magic cure-all for prevention of disease.
“These chillies are added to a dish that contains lots of different kinds of vegetables - it contains a good oil and also carbohydrate like rice.”
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