What happens to your body when you eat spicy food?
Chillies contain irritants, explaining why you might sweat after a hot meal. prudence Wade finds out more
Whether it’s dousing everything in habanero hot sauce or eating a punchy curry, some people live for spicy food – while others can’t quite stomach it.
‘Spicy food’ can cover a broad range of things of course, but here we’re talking specifically about chilli peppers. They include the active ingredient capsaicin – which is actually “an irritant”, according to Professor Stuart Bloom, consultant gastroenterologist at The Wellington Hospital, Part of HCA Healthcare UK.
So, what happens to your body when you have a hot spicy meal?
physical reactions
“They [capsaicin] do have a bit of an effect on stimulating blood flow in the gut and increasing mucus production,” Prof Bloom explains, and they can also cause diarrhoea.
“It definitely is associated with increased indigestion and feelings of stomach burning,” he adds.
However, the effect it has on your body really differs from person to person.
Prof Bloom says: “If you’ve got underlying conditions like IBS, indigestion, or either colitis or Crohn’s, then spicy foods can make symptoms worse. Spicy food will give you diarrhoea, so if you’ve got a kind of IBS where you have dodgy guts anyway, spicy foods will often aggravate.”
Sometimes you might find yourself getting hot, bothered and a bit sweaty too.
“It stimulates blood flow and it causes a sort of reflex reaction, the pores dilate,” Prof Bloom explains. “Some of the oils in spicy foods actually have an effect on the skin flow, and you do get a sweating response.”
However, eating chillies can potentially release endorphins – perhaps explaining why you feel such a rush after a spicy meal.
If something is extremely hot – such as the infamous ghost pepper – you might have an even greater physical reaction, including vomiting.
Effects on the immune system
While there are some suggestions spicy food can boost your immune system, Prof Bloom says: “The jury’s out.”he admits not enough research has been done – but not all is lost, particularly if you’re partial to hot curries with hints of turmeric.
“Turmeric does seem to boost the immune system, and there’s quite a lot of research on the effect of turmeric on colitis and Crohn’s disease,” he adds.
spicy food and appetite
Prof Bloom finds this area of research particularly interesting, as the evidence is conflicting. He cites a 2014 China Kadoorie Biobank study, “showing spicy food is associated with weight gain”, but notes it didn’t look at cause and effect. “It could be anything – could be people who like their food more, eat spice as a part of that,” Prof Bloom adds. On the flipside, other studies show capsaicin “can actually increase calorie expenditure and reduce appetite”.
misconceptions
Prof Bloom wants to bust a few myths around spicy food too.
“A lot of people thought spicy foods cause ulcers, but in fact there’s no evidence that happens at all,” he suggests. “The spices have a role in reducing acid production, stimulating alkali, stimulating mucus and stimulating blood flow.”
He says you can make the case that spicy foods actually help digestion, in a person with no underlying conditions.
He also wants to challenge the notion spicy food aggravates haemorrhoids or can cause cancer, saying “there’s no evidence for that”.