Eating spicy foods isn’t just tasty – it can also be good for your health. We share six health benefits of spicy foods, and how you can start to include more spices in your diet

We all use herbs and spices to help make our food taste and smell better, and even to make it more colourful. But looking and tasting good isn’t the only benefit of adding more spicy foods to your diet. Spicy foods can have a whole host of health benefits, from helping reduce blood pressure to improving your gut microbiome.

What are the health benefits of spicy foods?

1. Spices can help combat inflammation

Compounds found in some spices, such as curcumin found in turmeric, may help reduce inflammation. Ayurvedic medicine uses spices and natural ingredients like garlic, ginger, and turmeric to help with a range of conditions where inflammation causes pain or discomfort, such as arthritis.

2. Eating spicy food can help speed up your metabolism

Studies have shown certain spices including peppers, chillies, cinnamon, and cumin, can help raise both raise your metabolic rate and slow down your appetite. 

3. Some spices can help with cancer

Studies have shown promising research into the use of some spices as a complementary cancer treatment. Cancer Research UK says, “There is some evidence that curcumin, a substance in turmeric, can kill cancer cells in certain cancers,” but more research is still needed. Studies have suggested that curcumin has ‘anti-cancer effects’, as it appears to help kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing.

4. Spicy ingredients can be full of vitamins and minerals

Chilli peppers are full of vitamins V, A, B6 and K, as well as minerals including calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium, thiamine, iron, and copper. Chillis also contain capsaicin (the compound that causes a burning sensation when you eat it) and can offer numerous benefits including reducing inflammation, promoting weight loss, and even relieving pain. 

5. Reduce blood pressure

Research suggests that long-term consumption of capsaicin can help to relax blood vessels and may even help reduce blood pressure for those with hypertension. 

6. Improve your gut microbiome

More and more evidence is suggesting that capsaicin may be able to help improve your gut microbiome. It’s thought that it does this by positively influencing the composition, abundance, and function.

As explained by Nutritionist Resource, your gut microbiome contains a mixture of beneficial bacteria, potentially bad bacteria, and bad bacteria. It’s normal to have all three types, but a healthier gut has more good than bad bacteria. “Having plenty of good bacteria helps maintain a healthy gut and generally improves our mental and physical well-being. The good bacteria are responsible for carrying out many metabolic processes in the human body.

“New research is also linking the role that good bacteria play in reducing inflammation and improving our immune response. Our gut microbiome (the collection of bacteria in our digestive tracts) is individual to us.”

What spicy foods should I eat to experience health benefits?

Spices containing capsaicin can have a positive impact on your health. Common foods you can eat that contain capsaicin include many different kinds of peppers (chilli, habanero, jalapeno, cayenne), and certain spices like paprika.

If you’re looking for milder spices that can still potentially be good for you, there are many common spices that we use every day without thinking that can have a positive impact. These include:

  • black pepper to help with digestion and absorbing nutrients
  • cumin for gut health
  • ginger for settling your stomach and soothing nausea
  • turmeric for antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits

If you want to start incorporating more spices into your diet, there are a number of simple ways you can get started. Lucia Stansbie, Registered Nutritional Therapist, DipCNM, mBANT, mCNHC shares seven simple ways you can introduce more spices to your meals and drinks.

Can spicy foods be bad for you?

Some people find that eating spicy foods can make them feel ill. This can be because they might be more sensitive to capsaicin or aren’t used to eating spicy foods. With some medical conditions e.g. if you experience acid reflux (heartburn) or have a stomach ulcer, it may help to minimise or avoid spicy foods in case they irritate your stomach.

While capsaicin can have numerous benefits, it can also have downsides, too. When eating too much, potential side effects can include sweating, having a runny nose, and experiencing stomach irritation.

Some experts also warn that some spicy foods can have a negative impact on the quality and amount of sleep you experience, due to the way that capsaicin can raise your body’s temperature, thereby disrupting your natural cooling process and making it harder to fall and stay asleep.

However, for those who enjoy and tolerate spice, the health benefits can far outweigh these occasional drawbacks, making spicy foods a flavourful and beneficial addition to a balanced diet.

Discover more about how what you eat can benefit your health.