Is Spicy Food Bad or Good for You? We Asked Health Experts

Here are the pros and cons.

Shamil/Getty Images

Spicy foodsaka, foods that burnhave always divided people.

You either love them, avoid them, or tolerate them.

vibrant orange and yellow skin chili peppers pattern, fruit flavored, medium in heat big chili peppers, vegetable background, taken from above

Photo:Shamil/Getty Images

If youre attempting to cut down on salt, try introducing a heat component, Sauceda says.

Read on for the potential health benefitsand drawbacksof eating spicy food.

What Makes Spicy Food So Spicy?

The component within chili peppers that brings the heat is calledcapsaicin.

So, if capsaicin is registered by your body as something that causes pain, does it harm you?

Hot peppers are also a source of vitamin C, a potent antioxidant.

This sphincter prevents stomach contents from washing back up the esophagus.