How Hot Peppers Help Your Health

Capsaicin, the compound responsible for chilies’ heat and spice, has been credited with a host of health advantages, from killing cancerous cells to lowering blood pressure, preventing obesity and reducing the risk of diabetes.

When you eat capsaicin, it binds to pain receptors in the mouth, causing the brain to send endorphins to alleviate the burning. Endorphins trigger the blood vessels to dilate, that’s what causes your face to turn red after eating hot peppers and why peppers may also help reduce blood pressure, says new research from Japan. Because endorphins have a feel-good effect, people can become addicted to foods that contain capsaicin.

Capsaicin is also powerful as an anti-inflammatory agent and anticoagulant, so it may help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. There are cultures who have diets rich in capsaicin, like those of Thailand and India, who have a lower incidence of heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolisms.

Being heart-healthy, capsaicin may also help ward off cancer. There is research conducted earlier in 2010 that found that capsaicin extract killed the mitochondria in cancerous cells without hurting healthy cells. The studies showed that capsaicin inhibits the proliferation of cancerous cells in the lungs, pancreas, and prostate.

Capsaicin is believed to worsen some certain gastrointestinal ailments, such as heartburn, the ancient Mayans incorporated chilies into medicinal remedies for stomach problems.

Researchers believe capsaicin extract may impede disease-causing microbes in the gut. There is a word of caution though: While chilies don’t necessarily cause digestive disorders, researchers are still not sure whether hot peppers harm those with ulcers, heartburn, and other preexisting stomach problems.

Much of the latest research has focused on capsaicin’s ability to stimulate metabolism, prevent weight gain, and help reduce the risk of diabetes. When you eat chilies they boost the body’s heat production, therefore increasing metabolism, you may burn up to an additional 75 calories per meal when eating foods that contain hot chilies, says Yvonne Nienstadt, nutrition director at the Rancho La Puerta Fitness Report and Spa in Tecate, Mexico. In a 2007 study conducted in Taiwan, found that capsaicin also inhibits the growth of fat cells in mice; scientist are hopeful that more research will confirm the compound as a fat-fighting additive. Capsaicin may also prove beneficial to those with diabetes, suggests a study done in 2009 published in “Obesity.”

Remember: The spicier the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains, so for the biggest health kick, reach for the hottest chili you can stand.