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
Thanks for delivering such an informative message about the benefits of eating spices. Really worth reading your article.
If it burns my mouth and lips, then my esophagus and stomach causes abd cramps, burns when I burp them, and when I pass them in my stool, I find no pleasure in eating them mainly the yellow pepper!!! Will try sweet red peppers tho!!
Thank you for providing me with this very vital health information. I like eating hot pepper but of late my wife is trying to convince me of the harmful effects of eating too much pepper but without any scientific or otherwise evidence. Now that you have enumerated 10 important benefits of pepper especially as they relate the health conditions you have stated, i can put under control most of these health conditions. Once more thank you very much.
Just recently got into Carolina reapers. I stopped eating spicy foods for a while because of intense stomach cramps. However, I had a taste of fresh Carolina reaper several weeks ago and I’ve been hooked on it since. I bought some powder online and I like to sprinkle it in nearly everything I eat. Little by little my tolerance has gone up and I can see some of the benefits described in this article, mainly the boost in mood and less allergies. Good stuff!
I agree Johnny! Carolina Reaper Powder adds that missing flavor that you can’t quite put your finger on. I use it as a salt replacement. Reduce my sodium intake while keeping/adding flavor!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Can it heal high blood pressure?
It’s great to know that eating peppers could mitigate migraines because your body becomes desensitized to the migraines, and overall sensation pain is lessened. My mom constantly experiences migraines because of the stress of her work. I’ll suggest she buys some hot sauce on her next grocery trip for her migraines. Thanks!
We have been eating pureed raw habanero sauce mixed with a bit of ketchup and vinegar going for 2months now in my household no one has had any colds or flu, thanks to capscain I have just learnt from this article.
This is true my wife has said I never get sick
Eating hot pepper is very very essential to the body because i have experience that and it is very good to my health.
For years every meal i take must be added some pepper.My age is growing but i look young,my neighbours ask me what is my secret,i tell them its pepper.
As a Bhut Jolokia(Ghost Pepper Chilli) farmer,I am overwhelmed reading the article. It will encourage us to cultivate massive Bhut Jolokia cultivation.Good news we produce Bhut Jolokia Tea which will hit globally for fight against corona.- Damodar Boruah,Author,Bhut Jolokia Farmer,STG
it is worth reading, let me continue enjoying pepper powder
Thank you so much for your research. May God continue to use you.
Then how did you overcome the pain
One time I almost died because of too much hot pepper that I swallowed.
After getting roumers that when you swallow too much hot,it helps to heal ulcers. It was unfortunate when I swallowed too much, it worsened the pain than before.
Too much of anything is not good.
I am keleon from kampala and i want to ask you doctor whether its dangerous to eat alot of chilli
I am doctor from Switzerland and can tell you there is no danger to eating a lot of chilli. I eat 2 pounds of hot chili per week and health. I can’t leave the bathroom – but I health. God bless your chili eating.
This article is very helpful and hence am beginning a diet on raw peppers twice a day. Thanks so much for this information
True,I had started feeling symptoms of ulcers. But now it’s six months since I resorted to eating a lot of pepper in my meals. I now enjoy food stuffs that used to be a problem due to ulcers. PEPPER has really helped me.
Thank you so for your contributions of the earth ! God bless you.
The information is educative on health benefit of pepper . You are advice to make soup of pepper with pumpkin combine with white melon onion .It would produce fabulous result when consume
please let me know more of the kinds of results you found
I just made my girlfriend eat 10 ghost peppers, she just dumped me and I don’t know why. What should I do? Do you think there is an online pepper dating website ?
lies , after the first ghost pepper she be fckd , no way she eats 9 more
haahaa
I love to eat spicy food that i ‘ve learned from my late father. I’ ve never seen my father having colds , cough or being sick with fever.I love to cook every Menüs i sprinkle chili powder or raw chilies to my food. Honestly speaking , i don’t get colds even Winter season.
I don’t eat a lot of peppers but I put Belizian Heat on or in almost everything I consume. Still alive at 74.
It increases apatite in human being
true
I love eating fresh hot peppers with almost all meals, except breakfast. I think I am addicted to these little treasures. The flavour enhances my South American dishes.
Only two hot pepper seeds daily in empty stomach is enough to get rid of any diarrhea,or gastrointestinal problems for whole life. Pls practice this and you’ll be blessed.
Has anyone done a study or self study on the effects of Carolina Reaper on Type 2 Diabetes? I’m still in the middle of my own review, but I’m seeing significant improvement in my glucose readings. My averages, with 2,000 MG of metformin daily, have been on the side of 129-135 after fasting. Now with Carolina Reaper introduced, I get numbers like 109, 115, 119. Consistently below 120. I’ve never been able to get the normal values in the past.
It’s very important to know some of these facts, more especially when one dies not have money to visit doctors now and then. Knowing medicinal properties of natural foods is good more so they have not been mixed with anything. Just taken natural like that.
I put dehydrated habaneros on my eggs every morning. Yummy