Turning up the heat on your tastebuds with chilli could have a healthy, calming effect, according to new research.
A new study in this month's Cell Metabolism journal has suggested eating chilli peppers could help lower blood pressure.
The research found capsaicin, the active ingredient that gives the peppers their heat, also leads blood vessels to relax.
Zhiming Zhu of Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, said: "We found that long-term dietary consumption of capsaicin, one of the most abundant components in chilli peppers, could reduce blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats."
The effects depend on the chronic activation of something called the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel found in the lining of blood vessels, reports the Press Association.
Activation of the channel leads to a rise in production of nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect blood vessels against inflammation and dysfunction, Zhu added.
The study was not the first to look for a molecular link between capsaicin and lower blood pressure, but earlier studies were based on acute or short-term exposure to the chemical, rather than long-term treatment with capsaicin on rodents with high blood pressure.
Researchers also noted the existence of a mild Japanese pepper, which contains a compound called capsinoid, closely related to capsaicin, which produced similar effects without being as spicy.
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