Already in 1997, five sensible girls were singing "Spice Up Your Life" cheerfully. Eighteen years later, a team of researchers has looked into the benefits of spicy food for the human body and their results are rather encouraging!

Indeed, pepper is composed mainly by capsaicin which could have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and even anti-cancer effects. This is just revealed by a study conducted by Chinese scientists and published Tuesday, August 4, 2015 in the British Medical Journal.

Carried out over a sample of 500 000 Chinese, followed over several years, this study has shown that "those who consume spicy food almost every day have a 14% chance of dying less compared to those who eat spicy less than once per week ". More specifically, spicy food is a real bulwark against cancers, coronary heart disease and respiratory diseases. "These results are in line with previous work showing potential protective effects on human health of spicy foods," says the international team led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, who signs the article.

Wait, however, before adding spice in all your dishes: "this study is only observation and it is not possible to draw a causal conclusion on this link," recognize the researchers. "It is unclear whether the observed correlations are a direct result of chili consumption or simply a result of other positive food items that have not been measured," said Dr. Nita Forouhi, a nutrition and nutrition specialist. Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge.

Until more details about the effects of spices on our health, nothing prevents you to add a little spice in your life.