What happens to my body when I eat spicy food?

I eat spicy food almost every day. I love the taste and the tingle, but I wonder: How is all that heat affecting my body?

Eating spicy food can produce a variety of physiological reactions, like a tingling in the tongue and lips, as well as sweating, said David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

“We all enjoy sensory experiences; spicy foods make life more interesting,” he said.

But not all of the potential responses are welcome, even for those who enjoy the taste.

Here’s what we know about how spicy food affects the body.

It makes you sweat

Spicy food lovers are likely to be familiar with one immediate physical reaction — sweating.

That’s because some of the spiciest foods contain compounds that bind to nerve receptors along the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, that are activated by heat.

Chiles, the flavourful backbone of many spicy dishes, contain the compound capsaicin, which binds to those receptors and then sends a pain signal to the brain, as Julius discovered in his Nobel Prize-winning work on the topic.

The main chemicals found in peppercorns, horseradish and mustard also bind to the same receptors, albeit less potently.

These nerves send similar signals to the brain as they would if you came into contact with actual fire, which is why you might start sweating or become flushed; that’s the body’s way of cooling itself down.

“Capsaicin fools your body into thinking the temperature has risen, and so your brain thinks it needs to shed heat,” Julius said. “In humans, we mostly do that by sweating.”

It Can Cause Gastrointestinal Distress

Eating spicy food in moderation is generally safe for people who don’t already have stomach issues. However, it can cause inflammation to the areas that aid digestion and can sometimes lead to heartburn, stomachaches or diarrhea.

People with gastritis, which occurs when the lining of the stomach is inflamed, may be especially susceptible to increased abdominal pain.

It may benefit health

Studies have shown that consuming spicy foods can be associated with some health benefits. One study found that taking a daily supplement of capsaicin (containing the amount in four or five habanero peppers) sped up metabolism, where participants burned the equivalent of an extra 200 calories per day over a 14-week period. In a 2022 study involving more than 6,000 adults, scientists found that chile intake was linked with a reduction in calcium buildup in the walls of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.