Research: Chili protects cardiovascular system

Eating chili regularly can effectively reduce vascular calcification and thus reduce the probability of cardiovascular disease.

The finding comes from Huang Hui, a professor at Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and his team.

It is the first time the protective effects of chili intake on the human vascular system have been demonstrated, adding an authoritative guide to a healthy diet.

Huang and his team published their paper in Hypertension, a top medical journal in the field, on March 2.

Vascular calcification seriously endangers human health and is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events, Huang said.

"The finding is very important," he said. "However, because of its complex mechanisms there is no effective treatment at the moment. If a person can prevent or reverse the occurrence of vascular calcification by changing eating habits, such as regular intake of chili, it is great news."

Chili has been on people's tables for thousands of years, but only recently have researchers found that capsaicin, a key element of chili, not only has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-tumor and other effects but also has a variety of cardiovascular protective effects by binding capsaicin receptors, he said.