Eating spicy food can increase your lifespan. There is a very common stigma that spicy foods can cause stomach problems and lead to other digestive issues. However, several doctors are fighting this misinformation and encouraging a spicy life. More specifically, they are advocating for the consumption of a key ingredient found in spicy food known as capsaicin. Capsaicin is the component in spicy food which causes the burning sensation when consumed.
Heart health is becoming an increasingly alarming issue many Americans face. Capsaicin has been proven to help break down fats in food and burn more energy. This decreases the risk for certain diseases such as high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases by boosting your body’s metabolism. Capsaicin also affects your hypothalamus. It can decrease your appetite by making you feel more full. This results in eating less food throughout the day and may help prevent obesity in the long term.
Although this may seem hard to believe based on personal experience, spicy food also aids in digestion and other properties. Capsaicin decreases overall stomach acid, which can prevent ulcer development. It can also be very beneficial for your gut microbiome since it stimulates healthy gut flora. Capsaicin also reduces overall inflammation in the gut, the same type of inflammation that is often linked to obesity. This is once again evident of the anti-obesity properties capsaicin contains, since it leads to decreased appetite and increased energy expenditure.
Even though spicy food has lots of health benefits, is it worth the ulcers and pain? Although capsaicin does cause pain, spicy food does not cause ulcers. It’s a very common misconception that individuals have. There are other dietary factors and lifestyle choices that lead to ulcers. For example, there are many highly processed unhealthy foods which are also spicy. However it is not the spice which is causing the ulcer, but more likely the other components of the highly processed food. Although it is important to note that spicy food can cause mild abdominal pain, this is only temporary and does not affect your health long term.
These findings indicate that we should try and incorporate more spice into our diet and enjoy the healthy benefits which arise. However, this does not mean that you should be eating more hot cheetos (I was also disappointed in this finding). Although the spice in these snacks may be very beneficial to your health, the overall highly processed nature and other unhealthy ingredients still make it a bad choice. In addition to other measures such as exercise and a healthy diet, capsaicin can help individuals live an overall longer and healthier life. Stay spicy.
Sources:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-spicy-food-good-for-you/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/does-eating-spicy-foods-have-health-benefits/
The health benefits of spicy food are very encouraging. I was curious as to how capsaicin works to reduce inflammation. It would seem that this reduction in inflammation is mediated by gut microbiota. Eating foods that contain capsaicin increases colonies of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae which produce a compound butyrate which strengthens the gut barrier, helping reduce inflammation.
ReplyDeleteKang, C, et al. (2017). Gut Microbiota Mediates the Protective Effects of Dietary Capsaicin against Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation and Associated Obesity Induced by High-Fat Diet. mBio, 8(3): e00470-17.
Do you know that Capsaicin can also be used as an ingredient in pain-relief cream? Capsaicin sooth neuralgia, burning pain in the nerves, since it lowers the pain transmitter (substance P) to your sensory neurons. Therefore, cream and patches that contain the substance have been used to relieve pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, etc,... Additionally, due to its anti-inflammatory characteristic, capsaicin has also been applied to help with painful shingles, HIV, diabetic neuropathy
ReplyDeletehttps://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-capsaicin
Consumption of spicy foods is often associated with stomach aches and unpleasant bowel movements, however, it is refreshing to hear that this is not actually the case. I enjoyed learning that spicy foods can actually aid in digestion and decrease the risk of certain diseases. I understand that processed spicy foods such as hot Cheetos, are not providing these benefits, however it does make me wonder which spicy foods are best to consume and how should we be including these in our diets?
ReplyDeleteUpon some of my own research, I was able to find an article that addresses this question. It would appear that certain spices provide these different benefits. These spices include cumin, cinnamon, and peppers. These can be incorporated into one's diet by using these spices when cooking. However, again, I think that it is important that these spices are used with other foods that are beneficial to one's health. These spices play a minor role in overall gut health and disease prevention.
The Top Five Benefits of Spicy Foods. (2017, August 17). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/five-reasons-to-eat-spicy-foods#2.-Spicy-food-speeds-up-your-metabolism