Published in:
01-05-2016
Consumption of chilies, but not sweet peppers, is positively related to handgrip strength in an adult population
Published in: The journal of nutrition, health & aging | Issue 5/2016
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Background
Chili consumption may have a beneficial effect on muscle strength in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between frequency of chili consumption and handgrip strength in adults.
Design
Population-based cross-sectional study.
Setting
This study used baseline data from the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health Cohort Study.
Participants
A total of 3 717 subjects were recruited to the study. Frequency of chili consumption during the previous month was assessed using a valid self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the relationship between muscle strength and frequency of chili consumption. Handgrip strength was measured using a handheld digital dynamometer.
Results
After adjustment for potential confounding factors, significant relationships were observed between different categories of chili consumption and handgrip strength in males, the means (95% confidence interval) for handgrip strength across chili consumption categories were 44.7 (42.1, 47.2) for < one time/week; 45.5 (42.9, 48.1) for one time/week; and 45.8 (43.3, 48.4) for ≥ 2-3 times/week (P for trend < 0.01). Similar results were not observed with sweet pepper consumption.
Conclusions
This study reveals a positive correlation between frequency of chili consumption and muscle strength in adult males. Further studies are necessary in order to determine whether there is a causal relationship between chili consumption frequency and muscle strength.