研究：吃辣椒可降低死於心臟病和中風的風險

無辣不歡的人看過來！新研究發現，經常吃辣的人死於心臟病和中風的風險會大大降低。知道吃辣有這麼神奇的功效後，恐怕就算是上火長痘也擋不住你了。

That delicious penne all'arrabiata may have benefits that go further than putting a smile on your face, according to a new study.

一項新研究發現，美味的辣味通心粉給你帶來的益處也許不止讓你開心。

For many years, chili has been hailed for its therapeutic properties, and now researchers have found that eating chili peppers regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

多年來辣椒一直因其食療特性而受到讚譽，如今研究人員發現，定期吃辣椒可以降低死於心臟病和中風的風險。

Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn't.

這項研究在意大利開展，在那裏辣椒是一種很常用的調味料。該研究比較了2.3萬人的死亡風險，其中一部分人吃辣椒，而另一部分人不吃辣椒。

Participants' health status and eating habits were monitored over eight years, and researchers found that the risk of dying from a heart attack was 40% lower among those eating chili peppers at least four times per week.

該研究在八年時間內對參與者的健康狀況和飲食習慣進行了監控，結果研究人員發現，每週至少吃四次辣椒的人死於心臟病的風險比其他人低40%。

Death from stroke was more than halved, according to results published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

根據這份發表在《美國心臟病學會雜誌》的研究報告，吃辣的人死於中風的風險也減少了一半以上。

"An interesting fact is that protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed," said study lead author Marialaura Bonaccio, an epidemiologist at the Mediterranean Neurological Institute (Neuromed).

研究的首席作者、地中海神經病學研究所的流行病學家瑪利亞勞拉·伯納西歐說：“一個有趣的事實是，這種防護死亡風險的作用和人們的飲食類型無關。”

independent of: 不依賴…的；不受…支配的

"In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone else can eat less healthily, but for all of them chili pepper has a protective effect," she said.

她說：“換言之，有些人遵循健康的地中海飲食方式，還有一些人飲食習慣沒有那麼健康，但是辣椒對所有這些人都起到了保護作用。”

The research uses data from the Moli-Sani study, which has around 25,000 participants in the Molise region of southern Italy.

這項研究採用了來自意大利健康項目“莫利-薩尼研究”的數據，意大利南部莫利塞大區的約2.5萬人參與了這項研究。

Licia Iacoviello, director of the department of epidemiology and prevention at Neuromed and a professor at the University of Insubria, explained that the beneficial properties of chili had been passed down through Italian food culture.

地中海神經病學研究所流行病學與預防部主任、伊蘇布利亞大學教授莉西亞·亞科維耶洛解釋道，辣椒的功效通過意大利飲食文化傳承了下來。

"And now, as already observed in China and in the United States, we know that the various plants of the capsicum species, although consumed in different ways throughout the world, can exert a protective action towards our health," said Iacoviello.

亞科維耶洛說：“現在，正如在中國和美國觀察到的那樣，我們知道世界各地的多種辣椒都可以對健康產生保護作用，無論是以什麼方式攝入。”

The team now plans to investigate the biochemical mechanisms that make chili good for our health.

該團隊目前計劃調查使辣椒有益身體健康的生化機制。

External experts praised the study while pointing out some limitations.

外界專家在稱讚這項研究的同時指出了一些侷限性。

Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School in the UK, said the paper is "interesting" but "does not show a causal link" between chili consumption and health benefits.

英國阿斯頓醫學院的註冊營養師和高級特任講師杜安·梅勒說，這篇論文“很有趣”，但沒有指明吃辣椒和健康之間的“因果關係”。

Mellor said the positive effect of chili consumption observed in the study could be attributed to how the peppers are used in an overall diet.

梅勒說，該研究觀察到的吃辣椒的積極作用可以歸因於辣椒在整體飲食中的運用方式。

"It is plausible people who use chillies, as the data suggests also used more herbs and spices, and as such likely to be eating more fresh foods including vegetables," he said.

他說：“數據顯示，用辣椒做菜的人也會用更多藥草和香料，他們吃蔬菜等新鮮食物的可能性也更大。”

"So, although chillies can be a tasty addition to our recipes and meals, any direct effect is likely to be small and it is more likely that it makes eating other healthy foods more pleasurable."

“因此，儘管辣椒會讓我們的飯菜更美味，但辣椒本身對健康直接產生的效果可能並不大，更重要的是辣椒會讓我們更願意吃其他健康食品。”

Ian Johnson, a nutrition researcher at Quadram Institute Bioscience in Norwich, England, praised the "high-quality observational study" for its "robust methods."

英國諾威奇Quadram生物科學研究所的營養學研究員伊恩·約翰遜稱讚了這項“高質量的觀察性研究”及其“穩健的方法”。

However, he also pointed out that no mechanism for the protective effect was identified, nor did scientists find that eating more chili provided additional health benefits.

然而，他也指出，該研究沒有弄清這種保護作用的機制，科學家也沒有查明，吃更多辣椒能否給健康帶來更多益處。