What Happens To Your Stomach When You Eat Over-Spicy Food

We just love turning up the heat when we eat, but did you know eating spicy foods can do more than just amp up the flavours of your dish?Here are some reasons to bring that to a halt now.

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We just love turning up the heat when we eat
It may mess up your system, especially your stomach
Spicy foods have several beneficial effects on our body

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Indians have a tendency to gorge on masaledar khana that uses generous amounts of spices and, of course, lots of red chilli powder. We just love turning up the heat when we eat, but did you know eating spicy foods can do more than just amp up the flavours of your dish? While eating spicy food may have some serious health benefits, it may also mess up your system, especially your stomach. So, if you have been over-indulging in hot and spicy foods then you might want to think again. Here are some reasons to bring that to a halt now.

_{eating over spicy foods can worsen your stomach ulcers}

A lot has been said and written about the fact that spicy foods have several beneficial effects on our body. You would already know that it can do wonders for your waistline. But eating over spicy foods can worsen your stomach ulcers and gastritis. According to Dr Kapil Agrawal, Sr. Consultant, Laproscopic & Bariatric Surgeon, Habilite & Apollo Spectra Hospital, "While spicy foods do not cause ulcers or reflux but it can increase the severity of symptoms in patients already suffering from such conditions. Apart from that over spicy foods can cause diarrhea in few patients by irritating the gut. It also decreases the sensitivity of taste buds so if you plan on enjoying your favorite spicy dishes for years to come, less is more."

Eating spicy foods may have your gastrointestinal tract feel the heat most. It feels like your internal body is on fire, but the capsaicin compound found in chilli activates the release of substance P, a compound that transmits pain and burning sensations.

Over-indulgence of spicy foods may cause the following stomach ailments that you should know of.

1. Acid reflux

Spices are a combination of acids and when too many of these acids are introduced to the stomach, which also has its own acidic contents, it starts damaging the walls of the stomach.

_{Acid reflux}

2. Gastric ulcer

Eating over-spicy foods can aggravate ulcers in the sensitive mucosal lining or in the small intestine, called the duodenum, or sometimes even in the esophagus making it worse. These ulcers are excruciatingly painful, further causing stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and weight loss.

3. Loss of appetite

Consuming moderate amounts of spicy food is okay; for instance you can eat 2-3 times a week, but definitely not daily. You can experience a worrying loss of appetite if you over eat spicy foods.

4. Acute gastritis

Gastritis is caused due to inflammation of the gastric mucosa, the membrane that lines the stomach. Most people experience occasional bouts of gastritis that are often passed as indigestion. Acute gastritis may have symptoms like vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, headache along with blood in stool and vomit.

_{Gastritis is caused due to inflammation of the gastric mucosa}

Try and reduce the consumption of spicy foods as much as you can in order to avoid harming your stomach.

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What Happens To Your Stomach When You Eat Over-Spicy Food

We just love turning up the heat when we eat, but did you know eating spicy foods can do more than just amp up the flavours of your dish?Here are some reasons to bring that to a halt now.