Side Effects of Spicy Food Consumption
Food containing capsaicin, such as spicy chilli, can cause a few immediate side effects. The most common one is stomach pain, associated with diarrhoea and vomiting. Capsaicin overstimulates the nervous system, causing pain, but it does not damage the lining of the intestines [1].
Spicy foods can produce abdominal pain, heartburn, dyspepsia and an increase in bothersome gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) symptoms in all trimesters of pregnancy, with the most noticeable effects in the second and third trimesters [2].
A side effect of spicy food consumption is a regulatory modulation of pain sensitivity. For example, while short-term consumption of spicy food is known to have an analgesic effect, long-term consumption is reported to impair the human basal pain threshold [3].
Consumption of spicy foods has also been associated with the risk of chronic postsurgical pain after caesarean delivery, with those who ate spicy foods more than two days a week more likely to be at risk [4].
In addition, data from a 2016 study of Chinese college students showed that exposure to capsaicin-containing chilli peppers was linked with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms [5].
Finally, topical application of creams containing the active component of chilli foods, capsaicin, is associated with symptoms of burning, itching, redness, swelling, and pain at the application site [6].
What Are The Dangers of Eating Spicy Foods?
While spicy foods can offer various health benefits, they can also lead to unpleasant side effects, especially when consumed in large amounts.
It causes gastrointestinal distress, a common side-effect of eating spicy food: Capsaicin, the chemical that makes chilli spicy, can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting if consumed in massive doses [1].
Besides being unpleasant to a required degree, spicy foods can aggravate heartburn and indigestion, particularly those not typically eating them often [2]. Heartburn, indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), as it is technically known, are particularly common in pregnancy, with pregnancy tending to relax the lower oesophageal sphincter to promote baby passage, hence the all-too-common phenomenon of morning vomiting or pregnancy sickness [2].
In rare cases, consuming spicy foods can result in more severe complications. A case report documented that a 15-year-old male developed an acute headache and was diagnosed with reversible cerebrovascular vasoconstriction syndrome after consuming a Carolina Reaper pepper [7].
Lastly, higher spicy food consumption was associated with a lower risk of some cancers, other epidemiological studies showed a higher risk of some cancers associated with spicy food. A meta-analysis of 39 pieces of research reported that a higher level of spicy food consumption was associated with an increased incidence of cancer, in particular gastric cancer [8].
What Spicy Foods Are Considered Dangerous?
While spicy foods are generally safe to consume and offer health benefits, certain situations and types can lead to unpleasant or harmful effects.
The most prominent agent in these foods is capsaicin, which gives chilli peppers their heat. Very high doses of this chemical can cause intense activation of the nervous system and result in nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea [1].
The Carolina Reaper pepper, one of the hottest edible peppers, has been linked to severe side effects. For example, a healthy 15-year-old boy suffered acute headaches after consumption of the Carolina Reaper pepper and was later diagnosed with an acute cerebellar infarct and reversible cerebrovascular vasoconstriction syndrome [7].
Moreover, while spicy foods are generally safe during pregnancy, they can cause unpleasant side effects like heartburn, indigestion, and gastrointestinal distress [2].
Lastly, some studies also found that capsaicin consumption was associated with oesophageal, gastric and gallbladder cancer [9, 10]. However, the association was still controversial and unclear–more research is required to prove the relations.
Can You Die From Spicy Foods?
Is it possible to die from eating spicy foods? While there have been severe reactions to spicy food consumption, the evidence suggests that eating spicy foods may reduce mortality risk.
A large study from China noted that eating spicy food 6 or 7 days per week was associated with a 14% relative risk reduction in all-cause mortality compared with eating spicy food less than once per week [11]. Another study showed that regular spicy food consumers had a 12% lower risk of all-cause mortality than participants who did not report regular spicy food consumption [12].
Nonetheless, consuming large amounts of very spicy food, especially capsaicin (the active compound in chilli pepper plants that causes pain), can cause short-term severe gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting [1]. In rare circumstances, these could lead to serious health consequences. For example, a case was published reporting the death of a 2-year-old girl from respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome after she aspirated gastric contents into the tracheobronchial tree following the biting of a green chilli [13].
However, they also report a putative link between high-spice food consumption and the rising incidence of certain types of cancer [14], although, across all studies, these findings are inconsistent and need further research.
So, while overconsumption of spicy foods can lead to severe acute symptoms, and there are some (minor) concerns about links between spicy food consumption and some types of cancer, the available evidence suggests that regular spicy food consumption is broadly safe and, indeed, linked with an increased risk of survival.