If spicy foods fan your flames of hunger, you’re in luck: Peppery meals do far more than make your tongue tingle and forehead sweat. There’s evidence that food with a kick can help you lose weight, boost heart health and – surprise! – aid your gastrointestinal system. Show “Spicy food is a hot topic in nutrition — no pun intended,” says Patricia Bridget Lane, a registered dietitian/nutritionist. So let’s dig in to get a taste of how hot-and-spicy dishes can benefit your health. Does spicy food help you lose weight?That habanero salsa definitely makes your mouth burn. Could it burn calories, too? It sounds strange, but it’s not that far-fetched. Research shows that people who eat more spicy foods are less likely to be obese or carry excess weight. Increasing your spice intake could help with weight loss in a couple of different ways: Boost your metabolismMuch of the research on spicy foods focuses on capsaicin, the compound that gives chile peppers their kick. Some of that research has found that capsaicin boosts the body’s ability to break down fat and burn more energy. “It seems to rev up the body’s fat-burning mechanisms,” says Lane. “That can help with weight loss and weight management.” (Read what an endocrinologist says about metabolism’s role in weight loss.) Control your appetiteChiles and other spices might also affect your hunger. “There’s some research that capsaicin acts on the hypothalamus — the part of the brain that controls hunger and fullness,” Lane says. So you may feel full sooner if you add some heat to your meal. “People who eat a diet rich in spicy foods tend to eat less food overall throughout the day,” she adds. Other health benefits of spicy foodsDousing your dinner in hot sauce may have benefits besides weight management: Improve heart healthBy helping break down the fats in foods, spices may boost heart health. Some studies have shown that fiery fare may reduce the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. A study from the University of Vermont found that people who regularly ate chile peppers had a 13% lower likelihood of death. The researchers found that these culinary fire eaters were less likely to die of cardiovascular causes like heart attacks and stroke. Boost the microbiomeFiery foods might sound like a bad idea for someone with a sensitive stomach. But there’s evidence that capsaicin might actually be good for the microbiome in your gut. The microbiome is a community of bacteria and other microbes that are important for immune function and other aspects of health. “Capsaicin can stimulate a healthy gut flora and have a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract,” Lane says. Reduce inflammationHot-and-spicy dishes might also reduce inflammation. There’s evidence that capsaicin can help combat low-grade inflammation in the gut — a type of inflammation that has been linked to obesity. Capsaicin’s inflammation-fighting powers extend beyond the belly, too. Over-the-counter capsaicin cream can help treat pain ranging from arthritis and fibromyalgia. Spicing up a healthy dietBefore you start buying hot sauce in bulk, Lane offers a few caveats. Even the hottest chile peppers can’t undo the damage from a poor diet heavy on sugar, processed foods and saturated fats. “While spicy foods might have benefits, it’s more important to consider your overall diet,” she says. In other words, adding spice to a veggie stir fry is a great idea. Ordering an extra side of deep-fried buffalo chicken wings? Maybe not. “If you aren’t eating a healthy, balanced diet, spicy foods alone won’t rev up your metabolism or lower your cholesterol,” she says. And not all spice is created equal, she points out. Whole chile peppers and dried chile powder are great pantry staples. But many hot sauces and packaged seasonings are high in salt or other ingredients that you should only consume in moderation. Salt contributes to high blood pressure, so read nutrition labels before you get saucy. How to spice up your lifeIf you’re not used to spicy foods, start slow. “If you aren’t used to a lot of spice, don’t start with habanero peppers,” Lane suggests. Overdoing it can make your mouth burn — and may cause diarrhea. There’s no need to shoot for the world’s hottest chile. “You don’t necessarily need a lot of spice to reap the benefits,” says Lane. But if the world’s hottest pepper sounds intriguing to you, here’s some good news: If you keep eating spicy foods, it’s likely your heat tolerance will increase over time. Lane says to have fun with it and explore recipes featuring peppers. “But no matter how much spice you add,” Lane says,” remember that the goal is still a balanced diet.” Related Articles
 In the past, when your stomach was upset, you were told to eat a bland diet — maybe even the super bland BRAT diet of bananas, white rice, applesauce, and unbuttered white toast. The thinking was that spicy or even flavorful foods could irritate the digestive tract, causing more upset, including vomiting, diarrhea, and ulcers. But those assumptions probably made more than one person wonder how people in cultures where spicy food is consumed every day, and where it is even sometimes considered a medicine, took care of their stomachs. It turns out that not all spices are bad for your stomach, and in fact, some are just what the doctor ordered. “There’s really not a lot of research to say those hot foods are bad for the entire digestive tract,” says Rene Ficek, R.D., the lead nutrition expert at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating. First, a seemingly simple question: What is a spicy food? The answer to that is complicated, since “spicy” is a relative term. Peppermint toothpaste may burn some palates, while other folks can eat Thai peppers straight from the vine without breaking a sweat. Most hot spices are derived from a pepper or chili plant, though some plant leaves, like mustard greens, are also spicy, and so are some roots, like ginger. We incorporate these spices into our foods in raw, cooked, dried, and ground form. One common spice some people think of as hot, curry, is actually a combination of several spices, including curry plant leaves, ginger, and chili. “A lot of people associate spicy food with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),” says Ficek. “But there are many other foods that are worse gastric irritants, including caffeine, alcohol, and acidic citrus fruits.” If you experience digestive discomfort after eating spicy foods, you might be reacting to something other than the spice in your dinner. Mexican foods often use chili and pepper in their recipes, but your stomach could be reacting to fat from cheese or butter-based sauces. Acidic, tomato-based pasta sauce or the lemon in a dish of chicken piccata could be eating away at your digestive tract lining. It seems that spices have many health benefits. According to studies, chili, ginger, and other spices can reduce inflammation and treat gastric infections. “We do know that a lot of spices are a great source of vitamin C, which can reduce duration of the common cold and might affect cancer and heart disease,” says Ficek. Some spices seem to reduce inflammation, an immune reaction in which affected parts of the body become swollen. Inflammation is a part of many different types of illness, including discomfort of the digestive tract. And contrary to long-held belief, spicy foods don’t cause ulcers. In fact, capsaicin, the chemical that gives chilies and peppers their kick, has been shown to inhibit the bacteria H. pylori, the most common cause of ulcers. Capsaicin has an interesting relationship to pain: The initial irritation of capsaicin is followed by a numbing effect. That’s why it’s used in topical treatments in cream or as a dermal patch for joint and other pain. Resiniferatoxin, a variant of capsaicin, is used as an injected pain reliever. Most people would consider the spice turmeric to be more bitter than hot, but it is included in many recipes for spicy dishes, like curries. The active constituent of turmeric, curcumin, has been shown to have some significant health properties. It shows promise in treating irritable bowel syndrome and general digestive discomfort by blocking specific pain receptors. Curcumin also has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing and treating colorectal cancer. If you already have ulcers, you may find that spicy foods make them feel worse. Spicy foods can also irritate some urinary tract infections, and certainly will cause your nose to run and eyes to water, which could bring on sinus irritation. The best thing about enjoying spicy foods as a digestive aid is that they taste good. As a practical consideration, you can adjust how much spice to add to foods when you cook at home, dialing your heat level up or down in accordance with your taste. Last medically reviewed on October 19, 2015 Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
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What does spicy food do to your stomach
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