Educational
10 Amazing Health Benefits to Eating Hot Peppers [Scientifically Proven]
The documented health benefits from hot peppers continues to grow at a break-neck speed, similar to the increasing popularity of consuming hot foods in various forms. The heat and health benefits comes from a chemical called capsaicin.
Historically, spicy additions to food helped prevent spoilage in warm climates before the invention of refrigeration. Capsaicin’s anti-microbial properties inhibit as much as 75% of bacteria growth. People from cultures who lived and survived due to the use of various spices passed down to the next of kin spicy recipes and taste buds desiring extra zing in food.
Adding hot peppers, hot sauces and hot powders to food continues to protect us from food poisoning even though we now refrigerate food. To maximize these health benefits, eating the hottest pepper would magnify these effects.
Below are 10 health benefits of hot peppers.
1. Benefits the Digestive Tract
This may sound counter-intuitive, but the capsaicin in peppers actually act as an anti-irritant. People with ulcers have been told for years to avoid hot spicy foods, but research has revealed that peppers are beneficial to ulcers.
For example, pepper powder provides trace amounts of anti-oxidants and other chemicals to aid digestive issues such as, healing an upset stomach, reducing intestinal gas, curing diarrhea and acting as a natural remedy for cramps.
It does this by reducing the acidity in the digestive tract that causes ulcers. It also helps produce saliva and stimulates gastric juices aiding digestion.
2. Promotes a Healthy Heart
It also aids the circulatory system and prevents heart disease by lowering blood serum cholesterol and reduces lipid deposits, and therefore, reverses excessive blood clotting. It also dilates the blood vessels to aid in blood flow.
3. Mitigates Migraines
Have you ever had a pain on a body part that was your sole focus until you had another pain that was even worse? The original pain simply disappeared when your brain focused on the new injury.
This phenomenon is what happens to a migraine when you consume hot peppers. Your body becomes desensitized to the migraine and the overall sensation of pain is lessened.
4. Relieves Joint Pain
Due to the powerful pain-relieving properties of the capsaicin from peppers, it can be applied to the skin to reduce the chemical P, the ingredient that carries pain messages to the brain.
Ultimately, the pain receptors exhaust themselves by depleting the body’s reserves. Once this happens, the capsaicin acts as a pain reliever. It is used effectively for shingles, HIV neuropathy and other types of pain.
5. Improves Metabolism / Promotes Weight Loss
Spicy peppers revs up the metabolic rate by generating the thermogenic processes in our body that generates heat.
That process utilizes energy, and thereby, burns additional calores. In addition, if hot peppers are consumed at breakfast, the appetite is suppressed the rest of the day which ultimately helps in weight loss.
It may even alter proteins in your body to combat fat accumulation.
Capsaicin also has been studied as a holistic method to for weight loss. It will selectively destroy nerve fibers that send messages from the stomach to the brain.
6. Quells Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an itchy skin condition resulting in ugly skin patches. Capsaicin cream will significantly reduce the number of cells to replicating and aids in the reversal of the auto-immune skin lesions.
7. Reduces Cancer Risk
Since tne capsaicin in pepper flesh has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is being studied as a cancer-fighter. It reduces the growth of prostate cancer cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed.
Research also shows consumption of large quantities of peppers effective against breast, pancreatic and bladder cancers. (8 large habaneros per week)
8. Fights the Flu, Colds and Fungal Infections
Hot peppers are chock-full of beta carotene and antioxidants that support your immune system and will aid in fighting off colds and the flu.
Research has found that nasal sprays containing capsaicin reduce congestion. Increased body temperature from the ingestion of hot peppers triggers the immune system into action in fighting the norovirus (cold), flu viruses.
Consumption of peppers fights against 16 fungal strains by reducing fungal pathogens.
9. Prevents Bad Breath
To keep your significant other attracted to you, eating hot pepper powder acts as a disinfectant to the air you breathe out by improving the odor of your breath.
10. Prevents Allergies
Due to the anti-inflammatory benefits of capsaicin, hot peppers can help prevent allergies and symptoms from allergies.
References
Cayenne Pepper Benefits Your Gut, Heart & Beyond – Dr. Axe. (2015, May 23). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://draxe.com/cayenneof-pepper-benefits/
Food bacteria-spice survey shows why some cultures like it hot | Cornell Chronicle. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/1998/03/food-bacteria-spice-survey-shows-why-some-cultures-it-hot
Using Chili Peppers for Pain Relief. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/14/chili-peppers-pain-relief.aspx
Which Hot Peppers Speed Up Your Metabolism Best? (2013, August 16). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/36905-hot-peppers-speed-up-metabolism/
Zhang, W., & Po, L. (1994, March 22). The effectiveness of topically applied capsaicin. Retrieved September 17, 2015, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00196108?LI=true#page-1
Good lessons I have learned a lot
Thank you very much most people were mistaking paper causing ulcers
I have been eating hobinaros for 20yrs now . the health benefits are
amazing. Look at all the cancers in the world if people only new what hobinaros can do for the body every one would eat them.
Can you post a picture of this amazing HOBINAROS?
I love deep frying 10 ghost peppers with 2 beers, it unclogs your sinuses completley. I love ghost pepper , pepper sauce on my vegetables, and eat different hot peppers with my breakfast , at 63 I’m in pretty good health.
I thank my husband for sending me this link otherwise I always mistake hot papers as being harmful remedies nnot knowing that it’s such a wonderful remedies in the body.
Looking at the above mentioned benefits of eating pepper (including the fact that pepper can help in curing ulcers- point number one), and due to taste reasons, in addition to it’s anti oxidant and anti inflammatory benefits, I feel I should be eating some pepper at least.
However, this seems a contradiction because yesterday google told me that a person with ulcers (Gustral Esophageal Reflux Disease-GERD) should not eat pepper. What should I do?
Pepper can help in preventing ulcer but if already developed it won’t cure it. You can’t even bear the pain/heat that pepper will inact on a developed ulcer. The best is to eat it regularly to avoid getting ulcer.
Trust the pepper not Google or doctors.
Great article.
Need more of this.
America is the most over medicated population…and we’re the unhealthiest.
Natural remedies should be first not profit driven companies selling pills
Very beneficial article, keep up posting such good articles.
It’s a nice sharing. I have learnt alot now need to help my friends having ulcer issues all the time on drips of water
I’m 57 yes old been eating I habanero every day for twenty yes. I’m pretty darn healthy.
A suggestion that I use in the morning is V8 juice & either habanero or a drop of Georgia red reaper sauce. I also take a cayenne pepper supplement after every meal.
Thanks our Dr we know more because of you GOD BLESS YOU
I am very grateful that l have known how beneficial is the Hot pepper to my body. I used to deny taking pepper but with this article l will start eating pepper
I love hot peppers ️
I’m Agriculturist.Actully,i have been ignoring the growing of hot pepper on my farm.But thanks to the Dr for publishing the significance and health benefits.
Now,i’m really to grow hot pepper.But i need help .
Open my nose up when got a cold
Thank you very much for educating us, am a nurse and I will teach this to my clients.
What an amazing insights, Thought am risking my life by taking pepper until I read this article, I realized that I need to do it more frequent now. Thank you so much.
I now discover the importance of hot pepper from my personal nature.I was born and grew with hot pepper as an important meal. Treatment of skin affection and others. That part of the world doesn’t have much to do with modern medical medicine and they are always doing fine.
I grow peppers in Spain, my plants are at least 5 years old and remain productive. They are hotter if you leave the seeds in.
Pepper is very good please enjoy
Good to know the positive effects of consuming hot peppers,continuing adding to my food and m now enjoying
Wonderful facts I have learnt from article
I’m addicted to the hottest peppers in the world. I feel great when I eat them. If you want the best medicine in your diet. I absolutely love feeling better and to know the hottest peppers are healthy and that’s what I think!!!
I’m glad I came across this internet post. I’m originally from Africa and I tell you, we’re naturally fond of hot peppers. I’m growing my own Serrano pepper in Texas, and I buy plenty of peppers. Ghost, Scotch Bonnets, Jalapeños, and Serranos. I eat them almost everyday but I’m going to slow roast and turn them into pepper powder to eat with my favorite dishes. I’m glad to see there are pepper lovers in the world.