Are you a fan of hot sauce to put in all dishes? A new study suggests that your favorite condiment has benefits on your overall health and could have an effect on your longevity.
Hot sauce seems to be very popular around the world according to sales. According to Euromonitor, a supplier of strategic market research, sales of hot sauce in the United States have increased by at least 5% each year since 2012.
The benefits of eating spicy
Several studies have focused on the positive effects of capsaicin, which is the active ingredient in pepper, on the human body. As your eyes go red and in tears, sweat drops come out of your forehead and you feel warm, there is something interesting in your body when you eat hot dishes.
According to an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a 2015 study examined the effects of Chinese spicy food on human health, based on data from 487,375 Chinese adults. For people who ate spicy foods between three and seven times a week, the results showed that they were about 14% less likely to die from cancer, heart and respiratory diseases, and lived longer overall than their counterparts who did not do not eat chilli.
At the same time, it has been found that it is not necessary to consume spicy food regularly to enjoy the benefits of pepper. Indeed, even participants who ate spicy foods once or twice a week are 10% less likely to die than those who eat less than once a week.
The authors of the study in question claimed that the beneficial roles of capsaicin have been abundantly reported in several experimental studies or in small populations, with regard to anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer effects and antihypertensives, as well as in improving glucose balance. While their study adds that habitual consumption of spicy foods was inversely associated with mortality and a specific cause such as cancer, ischemic heart disease and respiratory diseases, independently of other risk factors for death. These results were also corroborated by a study published in 2017 in the scientific journal PLOS One and published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS).
Capsaicin and cancer
Dr. David Popovich, a chili enthusiast and researcher on the effects of capsaicin at Massey University in New Zealand, has conducted his own experiment using cancer cells and pepper. He noticed something rather strange: when he added capsaicin to the cancer cells, their growth was reduced.
Scientists do not know exactly why capsaicin has this effect on cancer cells, but Dr. Popovich has his own theory: peppers and other strong foods trigger a process called apoptosis, which is a sort of cellular "suicide" where the cancer cells trigger their self-destruction. According to Dr. Popovich, this is one of the ways scientists believe that capsaicin and other active ingredients found in vegetables can prevent the development of cancer, that is by stimulating cell death by apoptosis.
He also explains that in the end, any type of plant material that humans will consume will improve their health, and that the hot pepper is really beneficial to health, if the person can consume it. He added that in order to experience the best effects of capsaicin, it is recommended to combine spiced food with some natural vegetable oil, since capsaicin is a fat-soluble molecule, ie it is soluble in fats and oils. Thus, by eating spicy foods with delicious and healthy dishes, it allows you to live longer.
Advice
As long as you consume hot sauces with simple ingredients and you monitor your sodium intake, this is good for your health. The only real risk of regular consumption of hot sauce seems to be gastrointestinal discomfort, but this symptom varies considerably from person to person. In any case, existing research seems to indicate that hot sauce does more good than harm.
However, if you suffer from hemorrhoids or irritable bowel, the consumption of pepper or hot sauce is not recommended.
