The surprising health benefits of spicy food

Many years ago I became a phaal curry monster, which means that I was brave (and stupid) enough to accept one restaurantS challenge To eat a plate of chicken drenched with curry made of the Church Peppers On earth. Every swallow felt like glass fragments that scrape my throat. After the end I celebrated my performance by transferring a bush across the street. The health benefits of spicy food could not have been further from my thoughts.

But emerging research connects chili peppers – if they are more reasonably consumed than in that restaurant – on better health. Data “suggest that spicy food can help metabolism, improve feelings of fullness and weight control,” says Dr. Long Nguyen, a university teacher of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

This is why chili peppers are good for you and how you can heat up your diet for both taste and health.

The benefits of spicy food

Various studies believe that people who regularly eat spicy food have a better overall health and fewer diseases. Scientists are increasingly understanding how these foods help the body, although more research is needed, says Nguyen.

In 2020, an extensive research review found That a diet rich in spicy peppers was associated with less obesity, heart disease and diabetes risk. People with many spicy peppers were 25% less likely to die earlier than expected, compared to those who rarely or never ate.

The senior author of the review, cardiologist Dr. Bo XU at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine believes that these differences are due to capsaïcin, the connection that makes chili peppers so hot. Capsaïcin switches receptors in nerve cells on those TRPV1. These receptors seem to be their turn Trigger adrenalineThat fat burns and helps to control blood sugar levels.

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Research shows that TRPV1 receptors also help check Overactive immune cells To reduce inflammation, an engine of chronic diseases such as heart conditions. Medications with capsaicin are sometimes applied to the skin for nerve pain and arthritis partly because the composite inflammation fights, and “capsaicin may have some of the same effects in the body when eating,” says Nguyen. An Italian study Discovered that people who ate chili peppers had wider benefits of heart health than those who prefer sweet peppers, who contain much less capsaicin.

Spicy food can be one Healthier Microbiomeat. Although data is limited, “spicy food seem to increase the diversity of the microbiome,” says Nguyen. This is beneficial because each type of bacteria carries out different jobs, such as the breaking of food, strengthening the intestinal wall and combating harmful germs.

The effects of capsaicin on the microbiome have usually been investigated animalsays Emma Laing, clinical professor of dietetics at the University of Georgia. “However, studies in humans also suggest that the intestinal -friendly properties of capsaicin can improve metabolism, inflammation and control of blood glucose and cholesterol,” says Laing.

Ease in the fire

People who are new to eat spicy food Mild chili peppers Like Poblanos. Dietitian Kiran Campbell says she recommends spicy food to patients who want to lose weight while she says they “have to start low and go slowly” with the heat.

Have food with capsaïcin Increases toleranceSo people can gradually work on spicier peppers – which can offer more benefits. “There are certainly a few early data that suggest a relationship between how much capsaicin you eat, and some of these anti -inflammatory effects,” says Nguyen.

This is partly because the spicy peppers, in addition to having more capsaicin, tend to pack more useful connections such as antioxidants and phenols. According to a 2023 studyMany hot peppers contain many antioxidants. However, less fiery options also offer some of these connections. According to the same study, Jalapeno -peppers have “solid antioxidant activity” at a more acceptable heat level.

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Strive for spicy meals 2-4 times a week, Kampbell recommends. At least one studyIn the meantime, reports for eating peppers reports 6-7 days a week, compared to less than one portion. (Exact quantities per day are not well defined, says Xu.)

With frequent intake, the pain receptors of the tongue become less sensitive to capsaicin in about a week, making hotter peppers possible for more health.

“However, there is debate” on this point, says Nguyen. Research that was published last month suggests that the benefits of Spicy Food just come by burning your mouth, regardless of how much capsaicin you take. John Hayes, professor of food sciences in Penn State, found that when people experience food as spicy, their behavior changes: they chewing slower. This allows them to brace themselves before the herb, restore it or prevent them from swallowing a large spicy piece. Delay results in less food and can lead to healthier weight, digestion and glucose levels.

In other words, the behavioral change could explain many benefits that are sometimes attributed to capsaicin. “Researchers are divided between the physical and behavioral spending,” says Hayes.

Don’t quite go out

If you go overboard, your body – like mine – will rebel. “High consumption can really worsen the symptoms of acid reflux and irritable intestinal syndrome, especially if you have had rather drastic food changes,” says Nguyen, who is also an expert from the American gastroenterological Association.

Nguyen rarely has the chance to talk to his patients about spicy food that may encourage their health; It is mainly a cause of their gastrointestinal symptoms. “If it is a well -known trigger, then moderation or avoidance is wise,” he says, adding that people can follow symptoms to learn which herb level, if applicable, is acceptable.

Your doctor or dietitian must guide this process, adds Laing. Experts can also identify other ingredients that can explain digestive pain. “It is possible that the herbs are not the culprit,” she says.

How to prepare your peppers

Fresh peppers are probably healthier than processed. Research Show that people who have regularly chopped fresh peppers, instead of dried or ground versions, enjoyed lower percentages of heart conditions, diabetes and cancer.

Another study Discovered that, for most types of red peppers – which are ripe than green peppers and usually have more capsaicin – raw or slightly cooked the best for the preservation of their capsaicin, antioxidants and vitamin C. If you roast them, although other useful compounds – polym – polym – polymtools.

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These considerations underline the wisdom of traditional kitchens that include many ways to prepare peppers, add more benefits. Nguyen, who is Vietnamese, notes that “the spicy food in our kitchen takes on all shapes: you cook the peppers, cover the food with a homemade hot sauce and garnish with chili oil.”

Balance heat with taste

If you don’t like spicy food, you will probably avoid it, no matter how useful. One way to make spicy peppers more pleasant – and less painful – is to balance the heat with salt, sweetness and other flavors.

Mark Sanchez, president of the Chile Guy, a company in San Francisco in San Francisco that sells chili peppers online, thinks that the opposite is also true: faint food, such as regular beans, calls for a more tasteful pepper. He recommends the Chile Pepper and Chipotle in New Mexico as two types that “really tasteful and have a good heat component.” High heat does not exclude the taste; Sanchez appreciates the “unique taste” of spicier Habanero paprikas.

Try to throw the seeds away, Sanchez suggests. They add no taste and few nutrients while they are hotter than other parts; They are near the placenta of the pepper, where capsaïcin is concentrated.

Cool the burn

Another strategy for dealing with more herbs: combining it with a healthy fat, which absorbs capsaicin, says Hayes. The best -known example is full milk. Hayes’s research has confirmed its effect as an oral firehos.

But his team thought so too foam Also works around, probably because fat is only one element in food that calls the heat in the heat. Egg white And cold temperature also help.

To combine these factors, try cold guacamole or a plant protein shake mixed with linseed oil. Nguyen notes that “Spice can be filled with different dairy products” in addition to milk, such as spicy cheese.

Campbell recommends placing cut chili peppers in olive oil (another source of healthy fat). Cool for a few days to make a spicy cooking oil or salad drizzle. XU loves Thai chili peppers – ‘small but powerful’, he says – and a few times a week in a dip sauce.

Some combinations can offer synergy benefits, says Laing: “When capsaicin is combined with foods such as fiber -rich vegetables or probiotics, the benefits for intestinal health can be improved by improved digestion and absorption of nutrients and a more diverse microbiota.” She recommends Pepper-seasoned vegetables with Greek yogurt, kefir or sauerkraut.