Chili pepper intake and all-cause and disease-specific mortality
A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Abstract
Abstract:Background: Chili pepper has been used for the treatment and prevention of multiple diseases. This may be due to its abundance of bioactive components, such as carotenoids, which are well known for their antioxidant properties. To date, several prospective cohort studies have examined the association between chili pepper intake and mortality, but the results have not been consistent. This study aimed to clarify the association between chili pepper intake and all-cause and disease-specific mortality using a meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Science databases were searched up to December 20, 2020, and reference lists of included studies were manually reviewed. All prospective cohort studies on the association between chili pepper intake and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific, and cancer-specific mortality were included in this study. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in the meta-analysis. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistic and Q test. Results: A total of 4 cohort studies (N=564,748; all four studies had adjusted for important potential confounders such as demographic variables, dietary intake, and physical activity) were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Among them, 31,527 died due to all causes, 10,184 died due to CVD, and 9,868 died due to cancer. Compared to none or rare consumption of chili pepper, consumption of chili pepper (ever or more than once a week) could significantly reduce the risk of all-cause mortality (summary adjusted HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.85, 0.90), CVD-specific mortality (summary adjusted HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85, 0.93), and cancer-specific mortality (summary adjusted HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.88, 0.97). There was no significant between-study heterogeneity in the analyses (all-cause mortality: I2=0.7%, P=0.389; CVD-specific mortality: I2=21.8%, P=0.280; cancer-specific mortality: I2=0.0%, P=0.918). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis confirmed that chili pepper intake could reduce the risk of all-cause, CVD-specific, and cancer-specific mortality, suggesting that chili pepper may be a beneficial ingredient in the diets in prolonging life.
References
1 Consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2015;351:h3942.
2 . Capsaicin: Current understanding of its mechanisms and therapy of pain and other pre-clinical and clinical uses. Molecules. 2016;21(7):844.
3 . Chili pepper carotenoids: Nutraceutical properties and mechanisms of action. Molecules. 2020;25(23):5573.
4 The effect of Capsaicinoids or Capsinoids in red pepper on thermogenesis in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytother Res. 2021;35(3):1358–77.
5 . Could capsaicinoids help to support weight management? A systematic review and meta-analysis of energy intake data. Appetite. 2014;73:183–8.
6 Chili pepper as a body weight-loss food. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2017;68(4):392–401.
7 . The association of hot red chili pepper consumption and mortality: a large population-based cohort study. PLoS One. 2017;12(1):e0169876.
8 Chili pepper consumption and mortality in Italian adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;74(25):3139–49.
9 Turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and saffron consumption and mortality. J Am Heart. 2019;8:e012240.
10 . Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. BMJ. 2009;339:b2535.
11 The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of nonrandomised studies in meta-analyses. Available from: http://www.ohri.ca/programs/clinical_epidemiology/oxford.asp
12 The effects of capsinoids and fermented red pepper paste supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr. 2021;40(4):1767–75.
13 . High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of capsaicin content in 16 Capsicum fruits from Nepal. J Med Food. 2009;12(4):908–13.
14 . Recent advances in the study on capsaicinoids and capsinoids. Eur J Pharmacol. 2011;650(1):1–7.
15 . Chili pepper consumption and cardiovascular mortality. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;74(25):3150–2.
16 Capsaicin affects macrophage anti-inflammatory activity via the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1024/0300-9831/a000721.
17 . Antioxidant activities and bioactive compounds of five Jalopeno peppers (Capsicum annuum) cultivars. Nat Prod Res. 2019;33(6):871–4.
18 Modulation of multidrug resistance and apoptosis of cancer cells by selected carotenoids. In Vivo. 2004;18(2):237–44.
19 . Anti-obesity effect of carotenoids: direct impact on adipose tissue and adipose tissue-driven indirect effects. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1562.
20 . β-carotene in obesity research: technical considerations and current status of the field. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):842.
21 . Dietary capsanthin, the main carotenoid in paprika (Capsicum annuum), alters plasma high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and hepatic gene expression in rats. Br J Nutr. 2009;102(12):1760–6.
22 Phytochemical Profile of Capsicum annuum L. cv Senise, Incorporation into Liposomes, and Evaluation of Cellular Antioxidant Activity. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(5):428.
23 . Metagenomic insights into the changes in microbial community and antimicrobial resistance genes associated with different salt content of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) sauce. Food Microbiol. 2020;85:103295.
24 . The human gut microbiota: Metabolism and perspective in obesity. Gut Microbes. 2018;9(4):308–25.
25 . Gut microbiota derived metabolites in cardiovascular health and disease. Protein Cell. 2018;9(5):416–31.
26 . Gut microbiota and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Endocrinol Nutr. 2016;63(10):560–8.
27 Gut microbiota and cancer: From pathogenesis to therapy. Cancers (Basel). 2019;11(1):38.
28 Does strength-promoting exercise confer unique health benefits? a pooled analysis of data on 11 population cohorts with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality endpoints. Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(5):1102–12.
