Many people like that hot, spicy feeling you get when you eat spicy foods, but is spicy food good for you? Spiciness in food really helps to bring out the flavor. Every culture has their spicy foods. You may wonder if eating spicy food a lot has any benefits. Or are there some negative effects of eating spicy food too much?
Longevity
There are actually several studies that show eating spicy foods can help you live longer. These studies concluded that people who ate spicy food can live more than 10 percent longer than people who did not eat spicy food in their diet. It turns out that hot peppers contain the substance capsaicin, which has antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Therefore, at least from the perspective of scientific studies, spicy food is good for you, in terms of living longer.
Losing Weight
This benefit is an attention getting for most folks. Face it, many of us are overweight. Capsaicin not only help fight against oxidants and cancer, it also have a thermogenic effect when consumed. This effect heats up your body temperature, raising your metabolism and making your body burn more calories. In addition, some studies show that consuming red peppers can make you feel fuller and thus curbing your appetite and help you lose weight.
Protect Against Heart Disease
Our favorite substance capsaicin has another benefit. It can help guard against heart disease, as capsaicin has been shown to help break down the bad cholesterol in your body. Capsaicin can also have a role in helping your blood vessels relax, thus lowering your blood pressure.
Helps Prevent and Fight Ulcers
You might think that eating spicy food may agitate your stomach. On the contrary, capsaicin has been shown to help increase alkali and mucus secretions in the stomach, which helps reduce the acidity that can eat into the stomach lining. Capsaicin can also reduce acid secretion in the stomach. So if you have a weak stomach, don’t be afraid of spicy foods. One caveat is that capsaicin does not break down in the digestive system, so those with hemorrhoids may suffer if eating too much spicy foods.
Lower Blood Sugar Level
Researchers have shown that eating red chili peppers can lower your blood sugar level after a meal. Other studies have shown that less insulin is required to lower blood sugar level after eating a meal containing chili pepper. Chili pepper, at least in these studies, can lower blood sugar level and help decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
