Hot peppers are used for everything from hot sauces in Mexican restaurants and Chinese restaurants to making mild chili. The peppers can range from crazy hot to fairly mild, but all chili peppers have some amazing health benefits.
Hot peppers have a compound called capsaicin that has a number of health benefits for the body. The peppers don't have to be the extremely hot for the compound to be there, so even people with tender mouths can enjoy the benefits of hot peppers. Here are 7+ ways hot sauces may be beneficial to your health.
1. Eyes. The Huffington Post shares that chipotle peppers have both lutein and zeaxanthin, phytonutrients that keep your eyes healthy. These nutrients get deposited in the eyes and help deter macular degeneration and cataracts. Every little bit you can get helps.
2. Weight. Instant weight loss from consuming hot peppers would be wonderful! Unfortunately, you won't see that. What hot peppers do do, according to WebMD, is help reduce your appetite and speed up your metabolism. You won't be able to eat anything you want, but you can burn around 100 calories extra every day.
3. Life expectancy. Probably the most exciting find is shared by TIME. A study done among the Chinese found that those who consumed spicy food one to two times a week had a 10 percent reduced risk of death. The study was done through questionnaires, and whether a person lived a "healthy" lifestyle or not, the reduction seemed to hold true.
4. Pain. Capsaicin has long been known to help with pain. Women's Health shares that those who suffer from arthritis pain can get a topical cream that contains capsaicin. This does appear to reduce inflammation and discomfort.
5. Blood pressure. As a vegetable, hot peppers contain lots of vitamins and minerals. DoveMed points out that the amount of potassium found in one tablespoon of hot peppers may help reduce your blood pressure. You want to be sure that you're not taking the pepper in in a way that contains lots of sodium, though, or the benefits will be canceled out.
6. Mood. Hot peppers and hot sauce probably won't cure depression, but according to the Huffington Post, they do have the ability to affect mood. If you take in "enough," your body releases endorphins in response to the burn the spicy peppers create. What is "enough" varies with every person.
7. Immune system. Women's Health shares that chili peppers have lots of vitamin C, which will help boost your immune system.
8. Hair and skin. According to DoveMed, the vitamin C in the peppers encourages collagen production which will help keep your hair and skin healthy and vibrant.
9. Cancer. Not all sources agree that hot peppers prevent or kill cancer cells, but TIME reports that lab experiments done in New Zealand show promise. Placing capsaicin directly on the cancer cells caused growth reduction. What does this mean for the future? Time will tell.
How much hot sauce do you have to consume to get these benefits? No one seems to have the answer to that question. Just remember that a well-rounded diet is the best way to go in life and that every little bit of nutrition is a good thing.