Chilli may lower blood pressure, scientists say

by STEVE CONNOR

Spicy food flavoured with hot chilli peppers contains a natural chemical ingredient that may lower blood pressure, according to a study on a strain of laboratory rats with hypertension.

He added that eating hot, spicy food may not be necessary to gain the benefits of chillis because similar compounds are present in sweet peppers. There is, for instance, a mild Japanese pepper, which contains a compound called capsinoid that is closely related to capsaicin. “Limited studies show that these capsinoids produce effects similar to capsaicin. I believe that some people can adopt this sweet pepper,” Dr Zhu said.

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