People who don't eat spicy food really suffer a lot! Research has found that eating spicy food has three super benefits!

Some people like to eat spicy food and cannot do without it, while others cannot eat any spicy food at all. They even believe that eating chili peppers can stimulate the stomach and be harmful to the digestive system

Some people like to eat spicy food and cannot do without it, while others cannot eat any spicy food at all. They even believe that eating chili peppers can stimulate the stomach and be harmful to the digestive system. In fact, more and more research has found that people who don't eat spicy food are really at a loss!

People who love spicy food have a low risk of gastrointestinal cancer

In 2021, researchers from the University of Oxford in the UK and Peking University in China published a research paper in the International Journal of Epidemiology: over a 10-year period, 510000 Chinese people were analyzed for their love of spicy food and reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancer. Compared to people who do not eat spicy food, those who eat spicy food every day have a 19% lower risk of esophageal cancer, an 11% lower risk of gastric cancer, and a 10% lower risk of rectal cancer

The study divided the participants' intake of spicy food into:

Never eat spicy food

Occasionally (once a month)

1-2 days per week

3-5 days per week

Eating spicy food every day

1-2 days per week3-5 days per week12%24%16%19%3%5%8%11%0%5%13%10%

In addition, research has shown that eating chili peppers can bring greater benefits to people who do not drink alcohol or smoke.

Photo by Jin Jiali, Health Times

People who love spicy food may live longer

In 2015, a study was published in the British Medical Journal on the risk of eating spicy food and death. Researchers from Harvard University conducted a survey and analysis of 500000 Chinese people aged 30-79, and found that those who ate spicy food 1-2 times a week had a 10% reduction in all cause mortality compared to those who did not, and those who ate spicy food 3-7 times a week had a 14% decrease in mortality

And compared to people who don't eat spicy food often, those who eat spicy food have a lower risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases.

People who love spicy food have a lower risk of hypertension

Professor Li Liming and others from the School of Public Health at Peking University analyzed the data of nearly 54000 people in Tongxiang, Zhejiang, China using a prospective research project on chronic diseases in China. They found that frequent consumption of spicy food can prevent hypertension. The study included approximately 54000 adults aged 30-79, of whom 44.4% had hypertension, and 12.3% ate spicy food at least once a week, but this phenomenon is only seen in women

Among people who do not drink alcohol, those who eat spicy food every day have a 28% reduced risk of high blood pressure. Researchers point out that the specific mechanism by which eating spicy food reduces the risk of hypertension is still unclear, possibly due to the presence of capsaicin in red chili peppers.

Although spicy food is good, these types of people should try to eat less

Although spicy food is good, not everyone is suitable. Chili peppers have so many benefits, but they are all aimed at healthy people. Especially for these types of people:

1. People with cholecystitis and pancreatitis: Excessive spicy food can stimulate the gallbladder, especially those with chronic cholecystitis and gallstones. For patients with chronic pancreatitis, being greedy and spicy can easily lead to seizures.

2. People with severe symptoms of colds or coughs: Chili peppers can irritate the respiratory tract and throat, causing cough and cold symptoms to worsen.

3. People with pharyngitis and tracheitis, especially those with pharyngitis, chronic tracheitis, oral problems, etc., may experience prolonged symptoms due to the stimulation of capsaicin.

4. Patients with hypertension and heart disease: Chili peppers can enhance microcirculation, accelerate heartbeat, and cause tachycardia, leading to systemic vasodilation, thereby increasing blood pressure. For people who already have chronic diseases such as hypertension or heart disease, excessive consumption of chili peppers may lead to more severe diseases

5. Hemorrhoid patients: After eating, hemorrhoid patients may also cause hemorrhoid vein congestion and edema, leading to the deterioration of the disease and inducing anal abscess.

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Three Important Precautions for Eating Spicy Food

Since there are so many benefits to eating spicy food, is it better to eat more? In fact, that's not the case. Eating too much chili peppers is not only harmful to health, but may even be harmful. Eat spicy food healthily, remember these points!

1. Don't overeat and eat spicy food

If you want to eat chili peppers but are afraid of being too spicy, you can remove the chili seeds and chili strips (tendons), which will reduce the spicy taste a lot. Relatively speaking, the spiciness of chili peppers is much lower.

2. Do not eat spicy food on an empty stomach

3. Drink some milk to relieve the spiciness

If you feel gastrointestinal discomfort after eating spicy food, you can drink some milk or yogurt, fermented soy milk, etc. to alleviate the spicy stimulation, help regulate the gut microbiota, and reduce gastrointestinal discomfort.


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Source: Health Times


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