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The hot pepper, typical of the Mediterranean diet, is already known for its therapeutic virtues of various kinds. Now a research conducted by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the IRCCS Neuromed of Pozzilli , in collaboration with the Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, of the University of Insubria of Varese and of the Mediterranean Cardiocentro of Naples, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) , shows how people used to consume it regularly have a mortality risk for every cause reduced by 23% compared to those who do not.



The study examined 22,811 citizens of Molise participating in the Moli-sani study . By following their state of health for an average period of about eight years, and comparing it with their eating habits, the researchers were able to show that in people who regularly consume chilli (four times a week or more), the risk of dying of a heart attack it is reduced by 40% and cerebrovascular mortality is more than halved. This regardless of the type of power supply followed.



The Moli-sani study is the first to explore the properties of this spicy spice in relation to the risk of death in a European and Mediterranean population like that of Molise.



"The chili pepper - comments Licia Iacoviello , director of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the IRCCS Neuromed and Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at Insubria -, is a fundamental component of our food culture. Over the centuries it has been given properties of all kinds, most often based on anecdotes or customs. It is important now that the research deals with it in a concrete way, with rigor and scientific evidence. As already observed in China and the United States, the various plants of the capsicum species, although consumed in different ways throughout the world, can exert a protective action towards our health ".



New research will now have to be started to understand the biochemical modalities through which the chili pepper and other foods characterized by capsaicin act.



Reference

Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality in Italian Adults. Marialaura Bonaccio et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 74, Issue 25, 24 December 2019, Pages 3139-3149, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.068.



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