Habanero chicken at QMex features one of the hottest chilies available; wokfried prawns with dried chilies pack some heat at Lung King Heen in Hong Kong's Four Seasons Hotel.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Lu, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that doesn't mean everyone should pile on the spices at dinner time to improve their health and increase their longevity.

"For those who are affected by digestive disorders such as a stomach ulcer, I would be cautious about eating spicy foods," Lu told CBS News recently.

In fact, a number of research projects have identified a correlation between spicy food and certain diseases. Research published in 1994 indicated that frequently eating spicy food may increase the risk of contracting stomach cancer, while research conducted in 2006 suggested that regular ingestion of capsaicin may accelerate the migration of breast cancer cells to other parts of the body.

Generally, however, the indications are positive.

"Chili pepper - or even spicy food - consumption may become a dietary recommendation and/or fuel further research in the form of clinical trials," says Mustafa Chopan, coauthor of the most recent study.