The Health Effects of Spicy Foods: Benefits and Risks
When it comes to food, most like it hot. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74 percent) reported eating hot sauce with their food, according to an online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted in 2022 by the Harris Poll for Instacart. And the hotter, the better, it appears. The YouTube show Hot Ones, which features celebrity interviews conducted over increasingly spicy chicken wings, has racked up more than 58 million views. Even fast food joints are cashing in on the popularity of all things spicy — Wendy’s recently added new menu items featuring the ghost pepper, another infamously scorching variety.
But a recent tragedy may have spicy food aficionados second-guessing just how healthy this habit is. The New York Times reported that a teenager in Worcester, Massachusetts, died shortly after attempting the “Paqui one-chip challenge.” The goal of the challenge, set by the chip company and made popular on TikTok, is to eat an individually packaged tortilla chip liberally seasoned with both Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, two of the spiciest peppers in the world, and then avoid eating or drinking anything else to soothe the pain for as long as possible.
This isn’t the first time super spicy food has been associated with health issues. In 2018, the Carolina Reaper pepper sent a man to the hospital with excruciating headaches. There is also a documented case of a man who ruptured his esophagus after eating a ghost pepper, and news reports of ultra-spicy snacks sending kids and teens to the emergency room with stomach pain.
Are such cases anomalies, though, or are fiery foods actually bad for human health? What happens when you eat one, and is there any truth to the idea that consuming spicy foods may actually have some benefits, like increased metabolism or help with cold congestion? Here is what nutrition experts have to say about those and other burning questions about your body on spicy food.
What Makes Spicy Foods Hot?
Spice can refer to a range of ingredients that give foods a kick or produce a warming sensation. A volatile compound found in wasabi, horseradish, and mustard called isothiocyanate, for instance, is responsible for these foods’ pungent odor and the sinus-clearing sensation when eaten, according to research published in the Journal of Food Science in September 2020. But usually when people talk about spicy food, they mean the heat that comes from a compound called capsaicin, which is found in abundance in chili peppers like jalapeños, according to Britannica.
Capsaicin can make your mouth and tongue feel like it’s on fire, but it doesn’t burn your flesh the way high temperatures do. When you eat something spicy that contains capsaicin, pain sensors send a signal to your brain that feels like a burning sensation, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It can make your brain think what you’re eating is actually hot, it hurts, and makes you want to avoid eating it. This is how chili pepper plants protect themselves from animals who would otherwise eat them. Capsaicin, a chemical irritant, can cause a similar response if it comes into contact with your skin, eyes or hands.
Capsaicin is measured using the Scoville scale, which indicates the spicy heat in a type of pepper based on the amount of capsaicin it contains, expressed in Scoville units. A typical jalapeño has 5,000 Scoville units. The Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers that are used in the Paqui chip contain about 1.5 million Scoville units and 1.2 million Scoville units, respectively.
This is a lot of heat for anyone to take, but it can be particularly overwhelming for kids and teens. “Children can tolerate a lower level of capsaicin compared to adults,” says Fazia Mir, MD, a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.
“Their bodies are still developing, and they may not be able to process these foods.”
The Good News About Spicy Food
In spite of the recent bad press, spicy foods have historically been renowned for their health benefits. There are many ways capsaicin-kissed foods can be good for you, suggests an umbrella review published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research in December 2022. A spicy diet may even help you live longer, according to some past research, which found that people who eat spicy food almost daily have a 14 percent chance of outliving those who eat spicy foods less than once a week. That same study found that people who enjoy spicy food frequently are less likely to die of cancer and heart and respiratory diseases than those who avoid the heat.
Capsaicin may offer pain relief and anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a systematic review published in Frontiers in Oncology in July 2022. It is believed that the compound may interfere with neurotransmitters that send pain signals to the brain, per NIST. This is why capsaicin is often an ingredient in topical medications that treat pain and arthritis, per Mayo Clinic.
Spicy foods may also play a role in maintaining a lower BMI, revving metabolism, and enhancing the gut microbiome, according to the Cleveland Clinic. A meta-analysis published in Nutrition Journal in June 2023 concluded that spicy food may have a beneficial effect on high blood pressure. But the same meta-analysis found an association between people with the highest level of consumption of spicy food and an increased level of LDL or “bad” cholesterol, as well as an increased chance of obesity. (Much of the research on capsaicin and body weight is observational, showing a link but not cause and effect, and it conflicts at times, so more research is needed.)
The Bad News About Spicy Food
While additional research is needed on the long-term health effects of consuming spicy foods regularly, there is evidence that overdoing it on the hot stuff isn’t without risks.
“While many people enjoy spicy foods without any problems, for others, consuming very spicy foods can cause digestive discomfort or even more serious reactions,” says Bill Bradley, RD, who is based in Conway, Massachusetts. What kind of reactions? Extremely spicy foods can bring on abdominal pain, burning diarrhea, chest pain, headaches, and vomiting, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
There are a few reasons why spicy foods tend to cause gastrointestinal distress. “Capsaicin, when consumed in significant quantities, can be detrimental to the GI tract because it’s absorbed with greater efficiency in the stomach and upper small intestine,” says Dr. Mir. A study published in Experimental Cell Research in August 2022 also notes this fact. Additionally, research published in Foods in March 2022 stated that because of its pungency, high doses of capsaicin may inhibit gastric acid production, cause gastric inflammation, and cause structural changes of the intestinal barrier.
These effects may be one reason why the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation lists spicy foods among the potential dietary triggers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). “Spicy foods can aggravate irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease,” says Mir. ODing on hot sauce isn’t so great for your throat, either. Extremely spicy foods is one potential cause of profound esophagitis, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, and research has found that capsaicin frequently triggers gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. Spicy food is also responsible for a lot of garden-variety indigestion, other research found.
The painful burning from spicy foods won’t necessarily be confined to your mouth and gut. “Some people might experience burning sensations on their skin if they come into direct contact with extremely spicy ingredients,” says Bradley.
If pepper juice or residue comes into contact with your eyes, it can be extremely painful and irritating, notes the National Capital Poison Center. That’s why it’s best to wear gloves when preparing hot peppers for cooking. If contact occurs, flush your eyes with water. For people who are especially sensitive to capsaicin, even inhaling it may cause an asthma attack. “High doses of capsaicin can cause bronchial constriction in patients with asthmatics, potentially mimicking a severe asthmatic attack,” says Mir.
There are some groups who should probably steer clear of spicy food altogether. “Young children have more sensitive palates and digestive systems,” says Bradley. “There’s no strict age at which spicy foods become okay for kids. It’s best to introduce spicy foods gradually and watch for any adverse reactions,” he says.
Mir agrees: “As for children, there is no data as to what the upper or lower limit of capsaicin is. Exercise caution when giving children overly spicy foods,” she says.
So, Is Eating Spicy Foods Healthy?
In spite of recent headlines, the average spicy curry or five-alarm chili is unlikely to cause serious problems for most adults. But it’s important to remember that everyone is different when it comes to spicy foods. Some people may be genetically predisposed to have a higher tolerance for spice because they have fewer receptors for capsaicin, according to Stanford University. The reverse can also be true: Some individuals are born with more taste buds, so they experience a stronger reaction to smaller amounts of spice.
“Know your body and its tolerance to spicy foods,” advises Mir. “If spicy food has triggered heartburn or unpleasant GI side effects in the past, then avoid it.”