Are Spicy Foods Good For You?

October 21, 2022

Published: October 21, 2022

Updated: May 26, 2023

Some people put hot sauce on everything and others get watery eyes just looking at a jalapeño. Whether you like spicy food or not probably has a pretty big impact on your diet. Even though eating spicy food might be uncomfortable, there are actually a lot of health benefits that can come from it.1 In fact, one study found that regularly eating spicy foods can reduce your risk of premature death by 14 percent!2  In this blog post, we’ll explain the important benefits and risks of eating spicy foods.

Bring on the Heat!

First, let’s talk about spice. Spicy foods contain capsaicin, a component found in chili peppers that gives them the ability to cause a burning sensation when eaten. Capsaicin is responsible for a lot of the health benefits that you get from eating spicy foods.1-3 It is naturally found in hot peppers, but it is also sold in supplement form.

Fun fact: Capsaicin is most concentrated in the seeds of the pepper. So, if you want the flavor of a chili pepper but with less spice, remove the seeds!

More Hot Sauce, Please

These are some of the many good things spicy foods can do!

  • Lower LDL levels – LDL is your “bad” cholesterol. Spicy foods can help lower your LDL levels, consequently decreasing your risk for heart disease and stroke.4,5
  • Improve gut health – You might think that eating spicy foods increases your risk for stomach ulcers, but it actually does the opposite! This is because capsaicin has been found to decrease stomach acid production.6 Capsaicin can also reduce inflammation and lower the risk for tumors in your gut.7
  • Control appetite – Eating spicy foods is associated with lower levels of hunger.8
  • Clear out sinuses – Spicy foods can make your nose run and your eyes watery. This can be somewhat annoying, but it’s also great for clearing up congestion.9
  • Provide antioxidant and antimicrobial properties – Capsaicin is high in antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.10 This makes it good for protecting your cells and combating harmful bacteria in your body.

Ouch…

Spicy foods can burn your mouth, but they also have some more serious risks:

  • Stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting – If you eat a larger quantity of spicy food than you’re used to, you might experience uncomfortable symptoms in your digestive system. It’s important to stick to moderate amounts of spicy food and increase your intake slowly.11
  • May aggravate GERD, IBS, and IBD – It is safe for most people to eat spicy food, but if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), spicy foods might cause your symptoms to get worse. Talk to your doctor before adding spicy foods to your diet if you have one of these conditions.11,12

Does the Kind of Spicy Food Matter?

Chili powder

Yes – how you eat your spice is just as important as what kind of spice it is. Eating an entire bowl of buffalo chicken dip is not the same as adding red pepper flakes to a vegetable stir fry. It’s important to keep eating whole, healthy foods. Add spice to a healthy meal to get lots of health benefits. Don’t rely on the spice in junk food to make up for its high saturated fat and sodium content.

Whole chili peppers and dried chili powder are good staples to keep in your kitchen. They can be easily added to a lot of different dishes to boost their flavor, spice level, and healthfulness. Be careful about hot sauces and packaged seasonings. Many of these are high in salt and other unhealthy ingredients.

Key Takeaways

When done in moderation, adding spicy foods to your diet can yield a lot of health benefits. Spicy foods are known to improve heart and gut health. It’s important to focus on eating healthy foods with added spice instead of dousing fast food in high-sodium hot sauce. Keep in mind that everyone’s spice tolerance is different. If it is uncomfortable for you to eat spicy foods, don’t push yourself to do so.

References

  1. Ofori-Asenso R, Mohsenpour MA, Nouri M, Faghih S, Liew D, Mazidi M. Association of spicy Chilli food consumption with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Angiology. 2021;72(7):625-632. doi:10.1177/0003319721995666
  2. Lv J, Qi L, Yu C, et al. Consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2015;351:h3942. doi:10.1136/bmj.h3942
  3. Ao Z, Huang Z, Liu H. Spicy food and chili peppers and multiple health outcomes: Umbrella review. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2022;66(23):e2200167. doi:10.1002/mnfr.202200167
  4. Xue Y, He T, Yu K, et al. Association between spicy food consumption and lipid profiles in adults: a nationwide population-based study. Br J Nutr. 2017;118(2):144-153. doi:10.1017/S000711451700157X
  5. Abdullah SM, Defina LF, Leonard D, et al. Long-term association of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with cardiovascular mortality in individuals at low 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: Results from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Circulation. 2018;138(21):2315-2325. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.118.034273
  6. Satyanarayana MN. Capsaicin and gastric ulcers. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2006;46(4):275-328. doi:10.1080/1040-830491379236
  7. Rosca AE, Iesanu MI, Zahiu CDM, Voiculescu SE, Paslaru AC, Zagrean AM. Capsaicin and gut Microbiota in health and disease. Molecules. 2020;25(23):5681. doi:10.3390/molecules25235681
  8. Janssens PLHR, Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Capsaicin increases sensation of fullness in energy balance, and decreases desire to eat after dinner in negative energy balance. Appetite. 2014;77:44-49. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.02.018
  9. Fokkens W, Hellings P, Segboer C. Capsaicin for rhinitis. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2016;16(8):60. doi:10.1007/s11882-016-0638-1
  10. Nascimento PLA, Nascimento TCES, Ramos NSM, et al. Quantification, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of phenolics isolated from different extracts of Capsicum frutescens (Pimenta Malagueta). Molecules. 2014;19(4):5434-5447. doi:10.3390/molecules19045434
  11. Coolick C. The health risks of eating extremely spicy foods. Cleveland Clinic. Published March 13, 2023. Accessed May 26, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-risks-of-spicy-food/
  12. Esmaillzadeh A, Keshteli AH, Hajishafiee M, Feizi A, Feinle-Bisset C, Adibi P. Consumption of spicy foods and the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2013;19(38):6465-6471. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i38.6465
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