Due to personal taste or tradition, many people throughout the world eat daily food spicy. The characteristic flavor of chilies, chilies and peppersas well as the condiments derived from them, comes from the capsaicina chemical compound present in these plant species.
However, even though they are natural foods, and although there are those who attribute some health benefits to eating this type of food, specialists assure that eating it in excess can be harmful.
David Julius He is a physiologist University of Californiain San Francisco, and recognized that “eating spicy food can produce various physiological reactions, for example, tingling of the tongue and lips, or sweating.”
“We all like sensory experiences; “Spicy food makes life more interesting,” Julius told The New Times, for whom “not all possible reactions are welcome, not even for those who enjoy its flavor.”
Basically, what happens when the capsaicin present in these foods reaches your mouth is that activates V1 transient potential receptors (TRPV1 for its acronym in English), proteins that are part of the nervous system and whose function in the mouth is to detect the sensation of pain when something is very hot.
And because capsaicin fits perfectly with those receptors, causes the sensation that the mouth is burning.
This innate response, designed to protect the body from hot foods or drinks, sets in motion a series of chain reactionswhich include everything from saliva production to skin redness and perspiration, to the dilation of blood vessels to release heat.
Julius, the American expert mentioned above, was the one who discovered this mechanism by which capsaicin binds to these receptors when spicy foods are eaten and sends a pain signal to the brain. The discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2021.
And as he explained to the newspaper The New York Times“capsaicin tricks the body into thinking that the temperature has risen, so the brain thinks it should get rid of the heat.” And that in human beings happens “especially through sweat,” he said.
In a note with Infobaethe doctor specializing in Internal Medicine and Nutrition and member of the Obesity Group of the Argentine Nutrition Society (SAINT), Marianela Aguirre Ackermann (MN 151,867) recognized that “hot peppers, chilies or chili peppers have benefits. But there are also risks and that is why you have to take precautions and consume them carefully.”
And in that sense, he listed some of the known benefits:
- They improve metabolism and help control weight
- They give satiety
- They regulate cholesterol
- They keep blood pressure under control
- They control type 2 diabetes
- They improve the composition of the intestinal microbiota
- They have anti-inflammatory properties
However, the expert warned that “the consumption of spicy foods with capsaicin should be done within the framework of a balanced eating plan and a healthy life style”.
Likewise, a study published in the journal Hypertension revealed that the consumption of chili, chili peppers or peppers was related to a reducing calcium buildup in the walls of coronary arterieswhich supply blood to the heart.
Beyond the benefits seen, eating spicy foods in excess can entail risks that should be taken into account, according to different nutrition experts.
According to a publication of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), “in healthy people, excessive consumption of spicy foods can damage the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract causing nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea and hemorrhoids.”
In that sense, some studies linked long-term abuse of capsaicin with stomach cancer.
Therefore, experts recommend that They should avoid spicy food people who suffer:
- Gastroduodenal ulcer
- Gastritis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Hemorrhoids
- liver problems
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
- Children under six years old
