What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Hot Sauce Every Day

Not everyone loves hot sauce, but those who do can appreciate the various temperatures and flavors of the spicy condiment. You might enjoy a Buffalo style dipping sauce, a standard Tabasco sauce, or perhaps something more on the wilder side, like a ghost pepper hot sauce.   

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in spicy chili peppers, is what makes the pepper "hot" (via Healthline). Hot sauces are made with these chili peppers, and if they are on your daily menu, your body is going to experience some changes.

If you have a sensitive stomach, live with IBS, or experience frequent heart burn, eating hot sauce every day will exacerbate these medical conditions by producing more acid and increasing inflammation (via Los Angeles Times). Gastroenterologist Christopher N. Andrews, M.D., tells Livestrong that, although not likely, eating too much hot sauce can even cause a scary adverse reaction. He says, "Capsaicin causes inflammation in the nerve endings it comes into contact with, particularly at high doses. These nerve endings can give off chemicals and substances which could give a reaction very similar to an anaphylactic reaction in susceptible individuals." 

It's also worth noting that hot sauce is high in sodium, and Maryanne Walsh, MFN, RD, CDE shares with Eat this, Not That! that too much daily sodium intake can be "problematic for individuals with high blood pressure or who regularly experience acid reflux." 

While eating too much hot sauce daily may burn your lips and irritate your stomach, there are health benefits to having a daily dose of capsaicin. Healthline reports that there have been numerous animal studies showing that daily consumption of capsaicin can reduce blood pressure. Eating spicy peppers may also decrease the risk of heart disease, as capsaicin can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol (per Health).

You may also see heart health benefits by way of weight loss, as Healthline reports that eating hot sauce daily can curb hunger and improve metabolism. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that those who ate capsaicin with their appetizers ate less during their meals and snacks later in the day. According to a study out of the Appetite journal, eating hot sauce daily may burn up to 50 additional calories per day, which could lead to significant weight loss over time. The same study found that the hot sauce habit might reduce belly fat. 

The bottom line is that eating hot sauce daily, and in moderation, might support heart health and assist in weight loss. However, if you have a sensitive stomach you may want to limit your intake.