Consumption of chilies, but not sweet peppers, is positively related to handgrip strength in an adult population

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.