Sydney, Aug 31 - An Indian researcher has found that the flavour-potent chilli could wallop diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries.

University of Tasmania School of Human Life Sciences research fellow Kiran Ahuja said it was possible that one day chillies would replace aspirin, or be combined with aspirin as a medication for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

'Aspirin... has a nasty side effect, which causes stomach bleeding in patients,' said Ahuja.

The university research team is investigating the biological activity of two of its active ingredients - capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin.

Their work has shown that the capsaicinoid chemicals have the potential to lower blood glucose and insulin levels, reduce the formation of fatty deposits on artery walls and prevent blood clots - minus some of the nasty side-effects of traditional medications.

This work on blood coagulation follows Ahuja's earlier investigations that showed a potential role of chilli in prevention of diabetes and formation of fatty deposits on artery walls.