5 health benefits of spicy foods

If you enjoy a little spice in your meals, you may be in for some fantastic health benefits. Spicy foods can even help you cool off on a hot summer day.

“As your body perceives the heat from the spicy food, you begin to sweat—which eventually evaporates and cools your skin,” said nutritionist Kim Yawitz, R.D., owner of Two Six Fitness in St. Louis, Missouri, in Delish.

“In addition, a 2017 observational study found that spicy foods may significantly decrease daily salt intake, individual salt preference, and blood pressure by modifying how the brain perceives salty tastes,” explained Health.

But those aren’t the only benefits from eating spicy foods. Other potential benefits include:

While there are many benefits to spicy foods, there are some risks to eating too much. Large amounts of spicy food can cause discomfort in the GI tract, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.