The same ingredient that makes your lips tingle when eating suicide hot wings or Sichuan food could do more than just fire up your taste buds.
Daily consumption of capsaicin, the active compound of chilli peppers, has shown to have beneficial effects for preventing liver damage and progression, in new research revealed at last week's International Liver Congress in Austria.
Capsaicin also offers hope for dieters: another recent study shows that consuming the compound can help prevent weight gain when eating a high-fat diet.
The hotter the chilli pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Leading the heat ratings are habanero and scotch bonnet peppers, followed by jalapenos.
Previous studies have shown capsaicin to offer natural relief for osteoarthritis pain, to have cardiovascular benefits, to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, and to boost immunity.
The liver study involved two groups of mice induced with liver damage and then fed capsaicin in their food.