Many people love spicy food and have it with every meal. While there are many benefits to eating spicy food, it's not for everyone. The following 7 groups of people are not well-suited for a spicy diet!
1. Patients with Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases
Capsaicin can intensify blood circulation, accelerate the heartbeat, and cause tachycardia. A large intake in a short period can lead to acute heart failure, or even sudden death.
2. People with Kidney Disease
The capsaicin in spicy food is excreted through the kidneys and can damage renal parenchymal cells. In severe cases, it can lead to changes in kidney function, or even kidney failure.
3. Pregnant and Postpartum Women
This group may experience symptoms like canker sores and constipation from eating spicy food. It can also cause illness in a breastfeeding infant.
4. Patients with Hemorrhoids
Many people suffer from hemorrhoids. Those with this condition must be cautious. Although chili peppers are rich in vitamin C, they can easily cause congestion and edema of the hemorrhoidal veins, worsening the condition and potentially leading to perianal abscesses. Additionally, spicy food can worsen constipation, aggravating hemorrhoids.
5. People Taking Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Studies have found that capsaicin can diminish the efficacy of TCM. Therefore, one should avoid spicy foods while taking TCM. Patients on TCM should have a light diet, avoiding chili and all irritating foods. They should eat more foods rich in dietary fiber and avoid strongly stimulating foods like chili, radish, and onions, as these can hinder recovery.
6. Patients with Hyperthyroidism
Patients with this condition already have a rapid heart rate. Eating spicy food will make the heart beat faster, worsening the condition.
7. Patients with Conjunctivitis and Keratitis
Spicy seasonings can cause the blood vessels in the eyes to dilate and become congested, reducing the eye's resistance to infection and making one more susceptible to conjunctivitis. Therefore, patients with conjunctivitis, keratitis, or similar symptoms should strictly avoid spicy food during their illness, as it can easily cause "internal heat" and worsen the condition.
Spicy Food Can Alleviate Cold Symptoms
For centuries, spicy food has been thought to expel phlegm, and it seems this is true. Spicy food can thin secreted mucus and help it be coughed out, preventing blockage of the respiratory tract. Even Professor Irwin Ziment of the University of California said: "Many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines have the exact same effects as chili peppers, but I think eating chili is better because it has absolutely no side effects."
Spicy Food Can Relieve Pain
Chili peppers have long been used to relieve pain, and scientists have recently discovered that capsaicin can stimulate and deplete the neurotransmitter "substance P," which transmits pain signals through the nervous system. Based on this pain-relieving principle, chili pepper cream has been used to alleviate pain from conditions like shingles and trigeminal neuralgia.
Spicy Food Can Cause Skin Redness
Applying capsaicin to the skin dilates capillaries, improves circulation, and causes the skin to redden and warm up. Some companies have now applied this principle by adding capsaicin to socks to create "chili socks" for winter warmth.
Spicy Food Can Prevent Cancer
Epidemiological studies show that many spicy-loving nations, such as those in Southeast Asia and India, have a lower cancer rate than Western countries. Scientists speculate that these spicy foods contain many antioxidant substances, and oxidation is directly linked to chronic diseases, cancer, and aging. A recent study from the University of Hawaii also pointed out that carotenoids in vegetables like chili peppers and carrots can stimulate genes involved in intercellular communication (a system that malfunctions when organs become cancerous), which may play an important role in cancer prevention.
The Drawbacks of Eating Chili Peppers
Although chili peppers are nutritious and have significant medicinal value, consuming them excessively can harm your health. An excess of capsaicin can severely irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing intense congestion, accelerated peristalsis, leading to stomach pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and a burning, stinging sensation in the anus. This can induce gastrointestinal diseases and trigger hemorrhoidal bleeding. Therefore, patients with esophagitis, gastroenteritis, gastric ulcers, and hemorrhoids should eat less or avoid chili peppers altogether. Due to the "big pungent and big hot" nature of chili peppers, those with "heat-related" conditions like eye inflammation, toothache, sore throat, hemoptysis, or skin sores, or those with hyperthyroidism and tuberculosis (which are considered "yin deficiency with excessive fire"), should also be cautious about consuming them.
Spicy Food Can Prevent Arteriosclerosis
A single red chili pepper contains the daily recommended amount of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that can prevent low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from being oxidized into a harmful form. Once oxidized, LDL cholesterol, like cream left out of the refrigerator, becomes a bad substance that clogs arteries. In other words, beta-carotene intervenes right from the initial stage of arteriosclerosis.