Eating chillies could halve your chances of dying of heart attack or stroke, study finds

More jalapeños, please.

Eating chillies could halve your chances of dying from a heart attack or a stroke, a study has shown. The research, which included over 23,000 people in Italy, showed that people who regularly ate chillies were 61 percent less likely to die of a stroke and 40 percent less likely to suffer a deadly heart attack. It is believed that this link between consuming chillies and cardiovascular disease rates is due to capsaicin, a chemical present in the food that reduces inflammation (while also providing that sweet, sweet heat). Study lead Dr Marialaura Bonaccio, from the Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care (IRCCS) Neuromed, said that the research showed those who ate chillies at least four times a week were far less likely to die within eight years.   "An interesting fact is protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed," she said. "In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chilli pepper has a protective effect." Lucky they're also damn tasty too. Class. The regular consumption of chilli peppers has also been linked to lots of other positive health related things including reduced obesity rates, as well as protecting against diabetes and providing good gut bacteria. So it's not all that surprising then that including a load of them in your diet is good for your heart too. Delightful news going forward. Spice it up, etc.