Some people naturally gravitate toward hot, spicy foods, such as those containing cayennes, jalapeños, habañeros and other chile peppers.

But people who prefer to keep their fare on the mild side may want to rethink their choices, since a new study shows that these sizzling peppers may provide a key health benefit.

HOT STUFF

Zhen-Yu Chen, PhD, a professor of food and nutritional science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wanted to see whether capsaicinoids—pungent compounds found in chile peppers—might boost cardiovascular health, so he tested his theory on hamsters.

Dr. Chen and his team put hamsters (that all had similar cholesterol levels) into five groups. They were all fed a high-cholesterol diet, but four of the groups were fed varying amounts of powdered capsaicinoids and the fifth group consumed no capsaicinoids. After six weeks, researchers discovered…

Total cholesterol in all of the hamsters went up—but hamsters in the control group that didn’t eat capsaicinoids had their total cholesterol rise three times as high (about 28%) as those in each of the other groups (which rose just 10% to 12%).

Hamsters in the control group that didn’t eat capsaicinoids also had aortic arteries that were more rigid and less relaxed, compared with the capsaicinoid groups.

In other words, the animals that ate the chile pepper compounds had much healthier cardiovascular systems.

FIERY FOODS YOU CAN USE

When I spoke with Dr. Chen, he was cautious about how the study’s results might apply to humans. It’s not yet known whether eating a certain amount of chile peppers would help keep our cholesterol in check or keep our arteries nice and supple. And certainly, eating chile peppers is not a proven substitute—not yet, anyway!—for any medications being taken to maintain heart health.

Personally, however, I don’t see any harm in adding the zing of capsaicin-rich chile peppers to recipes—and that doesn’t just mean the Mexican standbys such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas and salsa (though those are all wonderful choices!). You say that you dislike spicy food? You don’t have to overdo it. In fact, the capsaicinoids in the study made up as little as one tenth of 1% of the weight of the animals’ diets—and benefits were still seen.

Here are two easy and delicious ways to use chile peppers in your kitchen from Dave DeWitt, coauthor of The Complete Chile Pepper Book and publisher of the Fiery Foods & Barbecue Supersite Fiery-Foods.com (You may want to wear gloves when handling hot peppers, because if there’s residue on your hands and then you touch, say, your eye, it might burn!) Add a small amount of the pepper or pepper powder to your meals at first (DeWitt gives you suggested starting points, below) and then take a taste. If you think you’d enjoy a spicier taste, gradually add more. If you overdo it, reduce the spiciness by adding more of the other ingredients.

DeWitt’s pepper-picking pointers…

  • If you want just a little spiciness: Use a jalapeño pepper—and the larger it is, the less hot it will tend to be.
  • If you want medium spiciness: Use cayenne powder or fresh New Mexican chiles, such as the “Big Jim” variety, but be sure to roast them and peel off the tough skins.
  • If you want a very spicy experience: Use a habañero pepper—and the smaller it is, the hotter it will tend to be.

SPICED-UP SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This recipe works well with almost any sort of tomato-based spaghetti sauce—and even many creamy or pesto sauces.

28 ounces tomato sauce
1 jalapeño pepper (mildly spicy result)…
or ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (medium-spicy result)…
or ½ habañero pepper (quite spicy result)

If using a fresh pepper, cut it in half vertically, remove the stem and seeds, and then mince. Put the minced pepper or powder and the tomato sauce in a food processor or blender, and then blend them together for 30 seconds, which will chop the pepper into even finer bits.

KICKED-UP VANILLA ICE CREAM

This is a popular dessert in Arizona, said DeWitt. “The butterfat in the ice cream tones down the hotness of the pepper a little, so you’re not overwhelmed, but the peppers still add flavor that surprises.”

2 scoops vanilla ice cream
½ jalapeño, minced as described above (mildly spicy result)…
or ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (medium-spicy result)…
or ¼ habañero pepper, minced (quite spicy result)

Just mix the minced pepper or powder into the ice cream—that’s it! “The cayenne powder works fine,” DeWitt told me, “but I prefer using peppers to powder because they add a satisfying crunch.”

Sources: Zhen-Yu Chen, PhD, professor, food and nutritional science, Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is coauthor of a study published in European Journal of Nutrition.

Dave DeWitt, coathor of The Complete Chile Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking (Timber Press), and publisher of the Fiery Foods & Barbecue Supersite, Fiery-Foods.com