Health Benefits of Spicy Food is a favorite of most people. Many people feel bad eating food if the food does not have a spicy taste. One of the flavors of food that is often sought after is spicy. Who would have thought, it turns out that spicy food can provide health benefits? Even so, too spicy intake can cause health problems.
The spicy taste and sensation of heat in food are actually caused by an active chemical compound called capsaicin. It is mostly found in chilies.
Here are the benefits of eating spicy food that you can get.
1. Increase body metabolism
The hot sensation of capsaicin boosts the body’s metabolic performance.
In this case, capsaicin has a thermogenic effect or increases body temperature. This triggers the burning of fat and calories in the body.
In addition, capsaicin helps break down fat so that fat levels in the body are reduced.
2. Good for heart health
One of the benefits of spicy food can improve heart health.
This is because capsaicin helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL) in the body.
Capsaicin can also dilate blood vessels so that blood flow in the body will be smoother.
Both ways of working above help reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Helping with cancer treatment
Citing a study published in Molecules (2021), capsaicin triggers cancer cell death and inhibits the growth and addition of gastric cancer tissue.
Not only that, but this substance also limits the growth of lumps in colorectal cancer and reduces the volume of cancerous tissue in bile cancer.
Other studies have also found that capsaicin can kill prostate cancer cells. Capsaicin is also said to be useful in helping the treatment of breast cancer.
Even so, these benefits are still being tested on cancer cells in the laboratory, not cancers that are still present in humans.
4. Reduces the risk of Parkinson’s
The benefits of eating spicy foods that contain capsaicin can reduce nerve aging in Parkinson’s disease.
These compounds help reduce free radicals and inflammatory compounds that cause aging.
Not only that, capsaicin increases levels of dopamine compounds due to nerve cell damage. Dopamine deficiency causes tremors in Parkinson’s.
However, the research conducted is still being tested on mice so the benefits of this spicy food still need to be studied further.
5. Controls appetite
If you want to control your weight, you can try eating spicy food. The reason is, capsaicin helps trigger feelings of fullness and satisfaction.
In addition, this compound reduces your appetite so you don’t overdo it.
Until now, researchers do not know for sure how spicy intake can suppress the desire to overeat.
Even so, there are allegations that capsaicin can control the part of the brain that controls appetite.
How to Overcome Stomach Pain from Eating Spicy
The safest way to deal with stomach pain from eating spicy food is to avoid the triggers, namely spicy food, and chili sauce. However, this is difficult to do, especially for lovers of spicy food.
Here are some ways to treat stomach pain due to spicy food that you can do:
1. Drink Milk
After consuming spicy food, you can consume milk. This intake contains substances that can neutralize capsaicin substances.
In a study from Physiology & Behavior, the protein present in milk is able to break down capsaicin, which helps remove the spicy taste from the mouth and soothes your stomach.
2. Try a Sweet Intake
This method can be a first aid for stomach pain from eating spicy food!
When it’s hot, you can eat something sweet like sugar or honey. Sugar and honey can absorb the hot sensation on the tongue due to spiciness.
3. Drug Consumption
After eating spicy food, immediately take ulcer medicine or digestive enzyme drugs to prevent digestive problems.
Stomach pain after eating spicy is often complained of by some people, especially those who have stomach ulcers. Over-the-counter ulcer drugs you can easily get and consume to relieve this stomach pain.
If you don’t have medicine, take warm ginger to relieve stomach pain from eating spicy food.
Studies from the Journal of Food Science & Nutrition have shown that ginger can be a very effective treatment for certain types of stomach pain.
5. Drink Tea
You can consume peppermint or chamomile tea to relieve inflammation after consuming spicy food.
The anti-inflammatory effects of chamomile and peppermint can help relax the abdominal muscles, thereby reducing cramping and abdominal pain.
6. Warm Compress
Try applying a warm compress on the abdomen to relax the muscles, so that it can relieve pain or burning in the stomach.
Place a warm compress on the aching abdomen. But, don’t use it for too long or use a compress that’s too hot because it can damage the skin.
7. BRAT Diet
If every time you eat spicily you always get a stomach ache, do the BRAT diet to overcome it. BRAT stands for banana, rice, applesauce, and toast, which means banana, rice, applesauce, and toast.
This type of food is low in fiber and contains no salt or spices, so it can relieve your stomach ache.
Bananas are known to contain pectin, which is a starch that is beneficial for the digestive tract. In one systematic review of green bananas, it was explained that green banana pulp can reduce diarrhea and constipation in children.
Health Problems Due to Spicy Eating
Although it has good benefits, the disturbances that arise are considered to be more than the benefits.
Here are some health problems that arise from eating spicy food:
1. Obesity
Come on, know 10 consequences of eating too much spicy food
Reporting to Nutra Ingredients, the consumption of spicy food is one of the things that increases a person’s risk of obesity.
This is because the consumption of spicy food can trigger an increase in appetite, especially carbohydrate intake.
The spicy and savory taste of chili sauce can increase appetite because the capsaicin substance in chilies increases the body’s endorphins.
Endorphins are hormones that evoke feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Increased appetite tends to increase the portion of rice that a person eats.
You could say, chili is not a direct cause of obesity but is an appetite enhancer.
2. Stomach Pain and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Reporting to UChicago Medicine, gastrointestinal disturbances are the result of subsequent spicy eating.
These disorders, especially in patients with irritable bowel syndrome or irritable bowel syndrome.
The content of capsaicin in chili is one of the active components that cause digestive disorders.
3. Gastric Tumor and Liver Tumor
A result of eating spicy next is stomach tumors and liver tumors. This condition occurs because of the content of chili extract.
From research conducted by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health on experimental mice, spicy food triggers the growth of gastric tumors.
In addition to gastric tumors, the risk of developing liver tumors in experimental rats also increased due to the consumption of chili extract.
4. Skin Cancer Risk
Reporting to the Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, an increased risk of skin cancer is the result of subsequent spicy eating.
The content of capsaicin in chili is considered to have a carcinogenic effect on the skin.
When consumed too often in high amounts, spicy foods also trigger skin cancer.
5. Stomach
Reporting to the Cleveland Clinic, ulcers are the result of subsequent spicy eating.
If these foods are consumed by people with stomach pain, the risk of heartburn increases.
6. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is one of the consequences of eating spicy food which is characterized by an increase in the frequency of bowel movements.
This happens because of the heat generated by the capsaicin substance. When consumed in high amounts, will trigger a number of symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
A number of these symptoms appear due to the digestive system burning due to irritation.
Irritation that occurs in the digestive system can also trigger discomfort in the digestive tract.
7. Hurts the Mouth
If consumed in excess, spicy food can hurt the mouth because of the burning sensation.
Not only spicy food, sour, salty, and hard foods also have the same effect.
If the mouth is irritated, the ability of the mouth will decrease.
This not only triggers interference when speaking but also causes discomfort when eating and drinking.
8. Burning Throat
The next result of eating spicy is a burning sensation in the throat.
If this is left unchecked, swallowing problems or disorders cannot be avoided.
This condition is known as esophagitis. If it has been experienced, sufferers will experience difficulty eating, weight loss, and even nutritional deficiencies.
Esophagitis is characterized by several symptoms, such as pain when swallowing, pain in the chest, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, stomach acid, and coughing.
9. Disorders of the Tongue
Reporting to Medical News Today, the consumption of spicy food will trigger pain in the tongue.
If the spicy taste is high intensity, the patient may experience numbness.
However, the numbing effect generally only occurs within approximately 24 hours.
10. Brain Cognitive Decline
Impaired cognitive function will usually occur with age. This can be said to be a natural process for all humans.
However, excessive consumption of spicy food can increase the risk higher.
The cognitive decline of the brain with age is associated with dementia.
This condition is characterized by impaired memory, difficulty focusing, communication disorders, forgetting to put things that were previously used, and making wrong decisions.
Conclusion
Actually, the consumption of spicy food is not completely bad for health.
Health Benefits of Spicy Foods A number of the things mentioned can occur due to excessive consumption of spicy foods.
If consumed properly, spicy food can boost a person’s immune system.
These benefits come from the content of vitamins C and A in spicy foods. Both act as antioxidants for the body.
In addition to boosting immunity, spicy food can prevent blood clots from occurring.
The capsaicin content in spicy foods has been shown to be effective against inflammation that triggers heart disease.
