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Hot chillies might be good for us
- Neliquat 10y agoCorrelation (people who ate peppers died less), in no way implies their stated causation ( eating peppers makes you live longer ). Consider how many old people vs young people like spicy food and I think you get my point. I really just wanted some damned confirmation bias, not shitty reporting.
- kekebo 10y agoThere was a larger study done in china a few years earlier with more differentiated results and the correlations are indeed interesting: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3942 http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3942 . But yeah, not a good article.
- gilrain 10y agoWhy do you think these researchers were so incompetent that they didn't control for even blindingly-obvious factors like age? Are you familiar with their other work in the field, or something? "Correlation does not equal causation" is parroted more often by pseudo-intellectuals than scientists, now. It seems that many interpret it as "correlation is not causation and is therefore garbage which can tell us nothing".
- placeybordeaux 10y agoCorrelation can tell us where to search, but the article concludes with the author being smug about sprinkling chili onto his omelette. There are still plenty of confounding factors, hardest of which to control for post-hoc would be self selection bias. This study just takes the data from a prior study and analyzed to see if one of the specific variables would predict another. There's no way to tell if they just did this for all of the variables, if they did this without having a prior hypothesis then the results should only be used for constructing another study, not as interpretable results that we can take action on.
- ctdonath 10y agoCorrelation implies causation, which is why scientists proceed from there in search of proof. You're trying to contend it doesn't prove, and thereby imply the whole of the research involved is wrong. Incoherent accusations, poor punctuation, and profanity correlate with incompetence. They don't prove you are, but you certainly might be.
- dragonwriter 10y ago> Correlation implies causation Strictly logically speaking, it does not. Probabilistically, it does; or, IOW, correlation correlates with causation.
- ctdonath 10y agocorrelation correlates with causation I like that.
- fragsworth 10y agoActually, probabilistically, it does not. There's effectively infinite correlations you can come up with that have no cause and effect
- dragonwriter 10y agoWhen I say there is a probabilistic implication, I mean, basically: P (X causes Y|X correlates with Y) > P (X causes Y) > P (X causes Y|X doesn't correlate with Y)
- fragsworth 10y agoYeah, I don't think that conjecture holds (or even makes sense?), if you're talking about the set of all possible correlations. If you take the limits, you end up getting 0 > 0 > 0.
- placeybordeaux 10y ago> Correlation implies causation It doesn't. > which is why scientists proceed from there in search of proof. Scientists don't prove anything, in fact all they do is disprove or fail to do so.
- misja111 10y agoThe article has a link to the original research paper. If you read it, you find: > Total mortality for participants who consumed hot red chili peppers was 21.6% compared to 33.6% for those who did not (absolute risk reduction of 12%; relative risk of 0.64). Adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics, the hazard ratio was 0.87.
- dominotw 10y agoWhy do cultures from hot climates like India and mexico eat spicy food? I've heard vague explanations like it 'cools body down', would be interesting to see any research done on this.
- at-fates-hands 10y agoHere you go: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/spicy-food_n_1628200.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/spicy-food_n_162820... In short, they eat spicy food because it makes you sweat, which is the mechanism to cool your body down.
- mrob 10y agoMy guess is that it's because spices grow well in hot climates. Spices are popular everywhere - consider how expensive spices were in temperate climates before easy global trade. If they're cheaper then they're more likely to become a major part of the country's cuisine.
- pm90 10y agoDepends on what you mean by "spicy". If its just spicy as in use a lot of spices like nutmeg, turmeric etc. well it makes food a LOT more flavorful. You can experiment with different combinations to get different flavors. If you mean spicy as in "hot" (capsaicin content)... some people just love that flavor, and I imagine a lot of Indian people do. But not universally...I'm not a big fan, although my cousins will eat raw green chilies without batting an eye. I've always wondered how its possible...perhaps some taste buds are not very receptive so you get a better kick out of it? Another theory I've heard was that food was scarce in India so the food would be made hot because you feel fuller after eating less (or are discouraged from eating too much). Not sure if its an accurate theory though...
- lfowles 10y ago> I've always wondered how its possible...perhaps some taste buds are not very receptive so you get a better kick out of it? Merely practice! I started growing a variety of hot peppers and within the year I was nibbling on Carolina Reapers. They still feel as potent, but I'm just able to grin and bear it if that makes sense?
- foobarge 10y ago"So why might eating chillies be good for you? The researchers speculate that it could be that capsaicin is helping increase blood flow, or even altering the mix of your gut bacteria in a helpful direction."
- khana 10y agoIndeed. Moreover, written by a person who admittedly doesn't partake in the chili-eating experience and has NOT had that endorphin rush that comes with eating HOT.
- jlebrech 10y ago"From an evolutionary perspective the plant would much rather have its seeds dispersed far and wide by birds." I hate this logic concerning evolution, the change happened and it was of benefit to the plant so the gene stayed.
- mrob 10y agoIt's especially nonsensical considering humans have done more to spread chilli peppers than birds. Birds never brought chilli peppers to my country but humans farm them here commercially.
- ideonexus 10y agoRichard Dawkins constantly reiterates this point in his book The Selfish Gene, constantly reminding us that genes aren't actually "selfish" and don't actually have wants, but these anthropomorphisms are useful shortcuts for communicating the subject-matter.
- jlebrech 10y agoit's a wrong way of explaining because if you use that explanation with a creationist it strengthens their belief (i.e how can a gene has needs, we know god did it).
- 725686 10y agoThere are chillies (chiles in spanish), that are hot as hell but tasteless. There are others that are less hot but with great flavor. I personally recommend you try Chipotle and Pasilla. You can buy canned chipotles, put them in the blender and you've got yourself a fantastic salsa for your quesadillas that will last forever in the fridge. By the way, a great way to relieve the "pain" is by eating bread (use your tongue to move the bread around before swallowing).
- mrob 10y agoMy favorite chilli variety is "Fatalii". It's similar to Habanero, but with IMO a superior flavor, and higher yield whenever I've grown them. It's both hot and strongly flavored. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalii
- scruple 10y agoAgreed. The Fatali is my favorite, as well. The strong citrus flavor that comes through the blazing heat is something that clicks for me.
- vram22 10y ago>By the way, a great way to relieve the "pain" is by eating bread Interesting. Similarly, I've read that drinking water will not relieve it, maybe since it causes the chili oils to spread around more in your mouth.
- ue_ 10y agoI've heard that capsicum is not soluble in water, though it is in fat (which milk contains), which is why it's recommended to have milk. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it lines up with anecdotal experience :)
- vram22 10y agoLikely right, someone else said much the same up-thread.
- ianai 10y agoMight be? I know they are. For one, they make healthy but boring food taste great without adding fat, sodium, or simple sugars.
- simcop2387 10y agoSince moving away from the south east where my seasonal allergies were terrible I've actually used hot chillies instead of allergy meds. My symptoms are mild enough that the flushing of all the mucus is enough to keep them at bay for a week or so. It's been wonderful for me since every allergy or antihistamine puts me to sleep so it was difficult to function if I had to take them.
- jbpetersen 10y agoAny advice for using this tactic without ending up with ulcers from an overly heat-tolerant palette? I used to eat some pretty spicy stuff to open my sinuses up but it stopped working for that without going to gut-wrenching levels of heat.
- ianai 10y agoMake a spicy soup. Posole and tortilla soup are options.
- vram22 10y ago>Any advice for using this tactic without ending up with ulcers from an overly heat-tolerant palette? Disclaimer: I am not a doctor - consult your doctor before trying this. That said, you can consider jala neti. Google the term. Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neti_(Hatha_Yoga) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neti_(Hatha_Yoga) It is a yoga technique for cleansing the nasal passages with luke-warm mildly salted water (1/2 teaspoon salt to a 200 ml glass of water is what I use, stirred well). I have been doing it daily for some years, and I find it helps clear my nasal passages. I had first read about it, long ago, in a book by the Yoga Institute, Santa Cruz, Mumbai, and read (in that book, which seemed somewhat scientific and cited many studies for its various claims) that a study was done in UK where a group did it in winter, another control group did not, and the first group had much less or no colds that winter. Thousands of Indians and other have been doing it for years. But - that was just one example, there could be other studies - pro or con, of course. Caveat user. You should consult your doctor before trying neti, in case you have any complications that may make it less than helpful. Also, I've found that sometimes a little of the salt water can sometimes trickle out of my nose up to a couple of hours after doing jala neti. So watch out and keep your head a bit away from any device or PC for a while. Tilting the head along various axes helps drain out any remnant water, I've found.
- mason240 10y agoThe study this entire puff peice is written around: >The Association of Hot Red Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality: A Large Population-Based Cohort Study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0169876 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.... >In this large prospective study, we observed an inverse relationship between hot red chili pepper consumption and all-cause mortality, after adjusting for potential confounders. Adults who consumed hot red chili peppers had a 13% lower hazard of death, compared to those who did not.
- rajesht 10y agoCorrelation is not causation! the only data it has is group of people who ate chilliest died 13%
- placeybordeaux 10y agoYeah the uncoerced choice to eat chillis is a major potential confounding factor. It's really not for everyone and frequently seems to have something to say about the environment you were brought up in & the type of food you normally eat.
- malkia 10y agoCoincidentally I love chilly peppers, on my first day at work, there was Ghost Pepper, and tonight we are going to Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert with my wife. Time to go to the kitchen before it closes, and put something chilli.
- laborat 10y agoOr people who lack variation in their diet (which contributes to health) skip the chilis too.
- searealist 10y agoShort people live longer than tall people. Short people eat more spicy food. Average male Indian height: 5'5" Average male Thai height: 5'7" Average male Mexican height: 5'6" etc...
- known 10y agoIn rural India there is a belief that eating chillies will prevent Cancer;
- herbst 10y agoSince i reside in south east asia i learned that a chilly filled breakfast starts me better in the day than any coffee ever could. After a meal that makes me cry i am happy and energetic and ready to work