Can eating spicy food inhibit Helicobacter pylori, reduce the risk of gastric cancer, and help lose weight? But there is a problem...

Expert of this article: Fu Shufang, Master of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, China Agricultural University, technician of the National Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases

This article was reviewed by Li Lin, PhD in Food Science, Professor of Zhongshan College, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and food safety expert in Zhongshan City

Attention spicy food lovers! There is good news and bad news.

Let me tell you the good news first.

Recently, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the University of Oxford in the UK found that eating chili peppers can reduce the risk of digestive tract cancer. The gastroenterology research team at the University of Toronto in Canada also confirmed that capsaicin can inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori.

We all know that Helicobacter pylori is the leading cause of gastric ulcers, gastritis and gastric cancer. Epidemiological surveys show that more than 50% of people in China are infected with Helicobacter pylori, and it is estimated that there are 700 million infected people.

According to survey data, about one-third of China's 1.4 billion people eat chili peppers every day. If eating spicy food can really inhibit Helicobacter pylori and even stomach cancer, then the benefits are self-evident. But... let's start with the bad news.

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Can eating spicy food inhibit Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori, abbreviated as Hp in English, is an anaerobic bacterium that grows well in acidic conditions and is the only bacterium that can survive in the stomach.

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When people are infected with Helicobacter pylori, they will attach to the gastric mucosa and slowly cause damage to the stomach.

The conclusion that capsaicin inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori first came from an article published by researchers at the University of Toronto in 1997. The article showed that when the concentration of capsaicin is greater than 10ug/ml, the growth of Helicobacter pylori will be inhibited.

Other studies have shown that capsaicin can inhibit the secretion of IL-8 cytokine by gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori, and thus has potential anti-inflammatory effects.

However, most of the current research on capsaicin and Helicobacter pylori is based on in vitro experiments, and there are great differences in the research results, making it difficult to draw a conclusion.

Moreover, capsaicin is not chili pepper, but only a component in chili pepper. The capsaicin content of different varieties of chili peppers varies greatly. It is difficult to determine the impact of spicy food on the growth of Helicobacter pylori, and spicy food cannot be used as a means of antibacterial.

If you have been infected with Helicobacter pylori and show symptoms, you still need to go to the hospital for examination and receive correct antibacterial treatment.

Can spicy food prevent cancer?

1. Reduce the risk of cancer

A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in January 2021 found that the frequency of eating spicy food was negatively correlated with the risk of digestive tract cancer. The study targeted 512,000 Chinese people aged 30 to 79, 30% of whom ate spicy food every day, with a median follow-up of 10.1 years. The results showed that compared with people who rarely ate spicy food, people who ate spicy food every day had a 19%, 11% and 10% lower risk of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and intestinal cancer, respectively. Among people who do not smoke or drink, eating spicy food every day can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer by more than 40%.

2. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2019 found that eating spicy food may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study followed up more than 20,000 Italians for 8 years and found that people who ate spicy food more than 4 times a week had a 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 34% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Capsaicin has many benefits, including promoting vasodilation, improving blood supply, and lowering blood pressure.

However, the causes of cancer and cardiovascular diseases are very complex, and more clinical research is needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between eating spicy food and a reduced risk of disease.

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3. Helps lose weight

Studies have found that capsaicin can enhance human metabolism and energy expenditure, which may have potential benefits for weight loss.

4. Improve digestion

Spicy food can increase saliva secretion and enhance the activity of digestive enzymes.

5. Increase pleasure

The burning sensation caused by spicy food is a kind of pain, which will promote the body to secrete endorphins, which is a hormone that can make people feel happy.

6. Rich in Antioxidants

Chili peppers are also rich in vitamin C, capsanthin and other antioxidants, so eating spicy food in moderation is indeed good for your health.

Why do I get diarrhea after eating spicy food?

However, spicy food is a double-edged sword and any food should be consumed in moderation.

Excessive consumption of spicy food can also irritate and damage the gastrointestinal digestive system. And everyone has a different tolerance for chili peppers. If you can't tolerate it, there's no need to force yourself to eat spicy food.

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Some people get diarrhea when they eat spicy food. The generally accepted theory is that it is due to the stimulation of capsaicin on the gastrointestinal tract. Capsaicin is not easily metabolized by the digestive tract, which can cause a burning sensation in the intestines, and then easily stimulate the intestines to cause diarrhea.

In addition, spicy food can reduce the sensitivity of the tongue. Some businesses use spicy food to cover up the staleness of ingredients, which is also the reason for diarrhea after eating spicy food. The pain in the butt after eating spicy food is also because there are capsaicin receptors in our anus, which can feel the hot sensation.

Who shouldn’t eat spicy food?

Patients with gastrointestinal diseases

If you already suffer from gastroenteritis, esophagitis, gastric ulcer, etc., eating spicy food will cause greater irritation to the gastric mucosa and is more likely to aggravate the disease.

Patients with cholecystitis and pancreatitis

Capsaicin can stimulate gastric acid secretion, cause gallbladder contraction, spasm of the bile duct sphincter, and difficulty in bile excretion, which can aggravate the symptoms of cholecystitis and pancreatitis.

Patients with oral ulcers

Chili peppers can irritate oral ulcers and aggravate the condition.

Hemorrhoid patients

Although eating spicy food is not the root cause of hemorrhoids, it will aggravate the symptoms of hemorrhoid patients.

Pregnant women, the elderly, and children

These people have fragile stomachs and should also reduce the amount of spicy food they eat.

When eating spicy food, the most effective way to relieve the spiciness is to eat some fat-rich foods or sweets, such as ice milk, which can reduce the burning sensation.

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Substances such as casein and fat in milk can wrap up capsaicin, thus playing a certain protective role on the oral mucosa and gastrointestinal mucosa, while low temperature can reduce the burning sensation caused by spiciness. It is a similar reason why many people eat spicy hot pot with cold soy milk.

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