Spicy perfection isn't to prevent infection

(Australian National University) Spicy food is considered an example of " Darwinian gastronomy " : selection for antimicrobial ingredients to counter infection risk. By analysing over thirty thousand recipes, we show that average number of spices per recipe is more strongly associated with socioeconomic factors than infectious disease.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news