DOCTOR’S NOTE
THE latest heart stimulant could be peppery chilli.
Italian researchers have tracked 23,000 people and found that those people who consumed chilli four times a week or more were 40% less likely to have a heart attack, and 60% less likely to die of a stroke than those who avoid them.
Overall, their mortality rate was nearly a quarter lower than the people who avoid chilli.
Interestingly, this protective effect of chilli persisted regardless of whatever else the participants ate, be it a Mediterranean diet or one with little fresh fruit and vegetables.