premature death when compared to people who ate spicy food less than once a week.
The benefits included lower cholesterol, a decreased chance of heart disease, better stomach and gut health, and even weight loss. But while these studies found an association, they did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
Capsaicin is also the key ingredient in a number of pain relief medications used to treat ailments from arthritis to fibromyalgia to headaches.
“The good news is that for most healthy people — even those participating in ‘extreme’ challenges involving consumption of record-setting hot peppers — eating very spicy foods does not pose any serious or lasting dangers to your health and does not usually require medical treatment,” Metalonis said in a hospital news release.
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But she noted that there are exceptions.
The “one chip challenge,” a viral social media challenge on TikTok involving eating one extremely hot chip loaded with Carolina Reaper spice, has on some occasions put people into the ER with “thunderclap headache,” and spontaneous ruptures in the throat are rare, but have happened.
While chili peppers may make your dinner a bit more exciting, it’s still best not to consume too much of a good thing. Remember to consume spicy foods with caution and pay attention to how they affect you when you are eating them.
