title: Chilli consumption and the incidence of overweight and obesity in a Chinese adult population.
abstract: The frequency of spicy food intake has recently been associated with a reduced risk of mortality in the Chinese population. This study aimed to prospectively examine the association between chilli intake and the incidence of overweight/obesity in a Chinese adult population.
  
  
  
  Adults aged 20-75 years in the China Health and Nutrition Survey were followed between 1991 and 2011. Dietary data were collected during home visits using a 3-day food record in 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Cox regression was used in the analysis. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index ⩾25 kg m-2.
  
  
  
  A total 12 970 adults were followed for a median of 9 years. During 126 884 person-years of follow-up, 3203 subjects developed overweight/obesity. The absolute incidence rate of overweight/obesity was 26.4, 22.3, 24.4 and 20.5 per 1000 person-years among those who consumed no chilli or 1-20, 20.1-50, ⩾50.1 g per day, respectively. Chilli consumption was therefore inversely associated with the incidence of overweight/obesity. After adjusting for age, gender, energy and fat intake, smoking, alcohol drinking and physical activity, those whose cumulative average chilli intake was 0, 1-20, 20.1-50 and ⩾50.1 g per day had a hazard ratio for overweight/obesity of 1.00, 0.81 (95% confidence interval=0.73-0.89), 0.77 (0.69-0.86) and 0.73 (0.63-0.84); P for trend <0.001, respectively. There was no interaction between chilli intake and gender, income, education and residence (urban/rural) in relation to the risk of overweight/obesity.
  
  
  
  Chilli intake is inversely associated with the risk of becoming overweight/obese in Chinese adults.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Z
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3099-3299
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), PO Box 10041, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002212:Capsicum; D002681:China; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017365:Spices; D055815:Young Adult