SPICE OF LIFE

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I’ve heard spicy food can be good for you. Is that true?Here’s great news for people who love to feel the burn: The purported benefits of spicy foods have a strong scientific basis.In 2015, a major study published in the British Medical Journal showed an association between consuming spicy foods and living longer. From 2004 to 2008, scientists enrolled more than half a million adults in China and tracked their health over the next several years. Several thousand in the group, not surprisingly, died during that time.But the surprising part? Even after controlling for multiple possible confounders - such as smoking, physical activity, and intake of red meat and fresh fruits and vegetables - adults whose spicy food intake averaged six or seven days a week had a 14 per cent lower relative risk of dying than those whose intake averaged less than once a week. Eating spicy foods was associated with a reduced risk of death from cancer and heart and lung diseases.Two years later, a similar study done in the United States corroborated those findings: Americans who consumed hot red chile peppers were about 13 per cent less likely to die at any given point during the study compared with those who did not.Scientists think capsaicin - the main active component in chile peppers - may be beneficial because of its effect on the receptors in our nerve cells that perceive heat, both from temperature and spice. Known as TRPV1 receptors, they’re expressed throughout our bodies, including the skin, gastrointestinal tract and many immune cells.So move aside peptides: Should we all grab some chile paste from the grocery store to live longer?Well … not necessarily (and, for the record, peptides should stay on the shelf for now too).While the benefits of spicy foods are backed by strong research, we haven’t proved that spicy foods cause this apparent boost in longevity. And in some areas, the data is more uncertain. For instance, some - though not all - studies have found an elevated risk of stomach cancer among people who frequently eat spicy foods.Here’s what else we know about how spicy foods affect our health.Heart healthMultiple observational studies in humans have shown an association with spicy food intake and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. The mechanisms aren’t entirely known, but limited human randomised controlled trials point to capsaicin’s ability to increase HDL, or “good” cholesterol, low levels of which are a known risk factor for heart attacks. It may also help burn calories faster.Also, the spicier your food, the less you reach for the salt shaker. A 2017 Chinese study of around 600 adults found that people who preferred spicier foods gravitated toward less salty ones, eating about a half teaspoon less salt every day with corresponding decreases in their blood pressure.The same researchers performed a separate randomised controlled trial in which they scanned participants’ brains after stimulating them with salt mixtures. They found that capsaicin amplified how intensely people perceive saltiness - meaning, the same splash of soy sauce tastes even saltier when you stir chile into the mix.Gut healthIBS and abdominal pain: What’s fascinating about TRPV1 receptors is that they’re also critical for pain signalling. They’re more concentrated in the colons of people with irritable bowel syndrome, for instance.That’s why, seemingly paradoxically, capsaicin creams actually can help treat pain. Capsaicin can overwhelm our pain-sensing nerves and, in doing so, help blunt alarm signals from reaching the brain.Capsaicin has even shown a benefit in small human trials for chronic abdominal pain. For some people, capsaicin can make abdominal discomfort worse in the short term. But after a few weeks of habitual consumption, those receptors become desensitised, and the discomfort may actually improve.Stomach acid and ulcers: Despite a common misconception, capsaicin does not damage a healthy stomach lining. Capsaicin actually reduces acid production in the stomach. Because of this, and because capsaicin stimulates more blood flow to the stomach, it has been shown to protect against the risk of gastrointestinal ulcers.So why are spicy foods notorious for making acid reflux symptoms seem worse? We feel like we have heartburn after eating a spicy meal because capsaicin activates TRPV1 receptors in the oesophagus. This is what causes that unpleasant burning sensation in the chest, which we would normally attribute to acid.Haemorrhoids: While I’m sure I don’t need to overexplain the meaning of the Hungarian saying “paprika burns you twice,” a 2006 randomised placebo-controlled trial found that capsaicin did not aggravate haemorrhoid symptoms. So if that’s your specific concern, the science has your back … side.Cancers: Regarding gastrointestinal cancers, the data is a bit mixed: Most studies found that capsaicin protects against cancer, while some have found that it seems to bolster tumour growth. This is an area where we still need more research, but the overall trend so far is reassuring that spicy foods may well be protective.What I want my patients to knowIf you like spicy foods, by all means, enjoy them, particularly in moderation. Personally, I get a bit of a thrill eating food spicy enough to make my nose run but not quite cry at the dinner table. But if you’re someone who feels ill when you eat chile peppers, this data shouldn’t push you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. We’re all different in how we respond to capsaicin, so I wouldn’t regard vindaloo as the elixir of life.The eating pattern still most consistently linked to numerous health benefits, including longevity, remains the Mediterranean-style diet, which emphasises whole foods, complex carbohydrates and polyphenols. Chile peppers can definitely be a part of that pattern, but they’re just one component.