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Good news for chilli fans: You should live longer

As well as making you look tough in front of others, eating chilli or spicy food could be warding off death, new research suggests.

A study of nearly half a million people in China has found those who eat chilli regularly are reducing their risk of death by about 14 per cent.

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Cancer, respiratory and coronary heart diseases and other health problems including obesity might also be reduced by regularly munching on fresh chilli or spicy meals, the research published in the BMJ found.

Researchers from Harvard and Peking University undertook a prospective study of 487,375 participants in China, aged between 30 and 79.

Participants were enrolled between 2004 and 2008 and followed up for morbidities and deaths.

The study found those who ate spicy foods nearly every day were at a 14 per cent reduced risk of death.

“In other words, participants who ate spicy foods almost every day had a relative 14 per cent lower risk of death compared to those who consumed spicy foods less than once a week,” researchers said.

The findings of the observational study aren’t definite but researchers say it’s a good sign for chilli lovers.

For those who ate chilli just one or two days a week, the risk was 10 per cent.

The association was the same for men and women who didn’t consume alcohol.

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