A study published in December 2019 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) identifying link between regular chili pepper consumption and cardiovascular event risk.
Over 22,000 individuals were followed for an average of 8.2 years, and those with regular intake of chili peppers (> 4 times per week) had lesser risk of death from CV events, stroke, and heart attack. Capsaicin, or the heat-containing element in peppers has been shown to reduce blood pressure, probably through mechanisms that relax blood vessels. Other proposed benefits of peppers include antioxidant properties, inflammation-mediation, and perhaps regulation of blood sugar levels.