Spicy food consumption reduces the risk of ischemic stroke: a prospective study

This study aimed to further explore the association between the frequency of spicy food intake and the risk of stroke in a large prospective cohort study. In this study, 50,174 participants aged 30-79 years were recruited. Spicy food consumption data were collected via a baseline survey questionnaire. Outcomes were incidence of any stroke, ischemic stroke (IS), and hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models estimated the association between consumption of spicy food and incident stroke. Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to examine the dose-response relationship. During the median 10.7-year follow-up, 3,967 strokes were recorded, including 3,494 IS and 516 HS. Compared to those who never/rarely consumed spicy food, those who consumed spicy food monthly, 1-2 days/week, and 3-5 days/week had HRs (95% CIs) of 0.914 (0.841,0.995), 0.869 (0.758,0.995), and 0.826 (0.714,0.956) for overall stroke, respectively. For IS, the corresponding HRs (95%CIs) were 0.909(0.832,0.994),0.831(0.718,0.962), and 0.813(0.696,0.951), respectively. This protective effect showed a U-shaped dose-response relationship. For obese participants, consuming spicy food ≥3 days/week was negatively associated with the risk of ischemic stroke. We found consumption of spicy food was negatively associated with the risk of ischemic stroke and had a U-shaped dose-response relationship with risk of ischemic stroke. Individuals who consumed spicy food 3-5 days/week had a sig...
Source: The British Journal of Nutrition - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: research