Peer Pressure Peppers
Everybody says peppers are the source of the pain and inflammation in my gut. I like hot foods, but I don't eat that much, 1 in every couple of days is spicy. When compared with entire countries that use spicy foods as a staple, I find my modest use of peppers to not truly be a variable. But let's see:
Capsaicin
Chemical compound
Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact.
The “hot” in hot peppers is due to capsaicin (C18h27nO3), a colorless, odorless oil-like compound found in the fruit of a plant that is a close relative of the tomato. Capsaicin is primarily found in the membrane that holds the seeds.
Hot Peppers: - American Chemical Society
For me, my only real symptoms (when not having a flare up) after eating spicy foods is a burning mouth, increased body temperature, and some endorphins or pleasant feelings as well. When it passes, I get a spicy rectum. I imagine so does everyone else. If I eat way too much, yeah it hurts my insides.
If I'm having a flare, I won't touch spicy food at all. That's where I draw the line
let's see what others say:
(Here's some pro)
Although animal experiments suggest a beneficial effect of capsaicin on colitis, clinical studies exploring the potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory of capsaicin on Crohn or Ulcerative Colitis are scarce. We concluded that there is no evidence that capsaicin aggravates IBD symptoms or severity. On the opposite, experimental studies suggest that capsaicin could reduce intestinal inflammation
Elandia A dos Santos, Jacqueline I Alvarez-Leite (2019) Capsaicin: A Potential Therapy Adjuvant for Intestinal Bowel Disease. Journal of Digestive Disorders And Diagnosis - 2(1):8-16. https://openaccesspub.org/jddd/article/1203
However, clinical epidemiological studies indicate that the incidence rate of IBD, including UC and CD, is much lower in the high chili consuming regions in China (such as Chengdu and Xian) than the light/no chili consuming regions (such as Guangzhou and Hong Kong) (23, 24), suggesting that dietary capsaicin might prevent/treat human IBD
Hanxing Wan. Capsaicin inhibits intestinal Cl- secretion and promotes Na+ absorption by blocking TRPV4 channels in healthy and colitic mice (2022). Available at: https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(22)00287-3/fulltext (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
Here's a paper against spicy:
Worsening of symptoms with certain food and drinks was reported by 60%, the commonest being spicy food (41%)
PWE-048 Dietary practices in patients with inflammatory bowel disease-food for thought | Gut (2022). Available at: https://gut.bmj.com/content/64/Suppl_1/A232.2 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
The intake of spicy food can contribute to the relapse and deterioration of symptoms in IBD patients with UC and CD. In mice, the oral administration of capsaicin exacerbated DSS-induced colitis
P082 Spicy food is a vital trigger for relapse in patient with inflammatory bowel disease (2022). Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/14/Supplement_1/S176/5705302 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
Two in favor and two against.
This highlights for me the subjective nature of IBD, Crohn's, etc.. Furthermore, the only analog in the laboratory is DSS induced colitis. They poison the mice until their intestines are eroded and test different substances on the heroic volunteers. These hero's symptoms were made worse by putting capsaicin on their open and irritated wounds. I agree with that enlightening revelation, and to save the mice anymore hardship salt will probably do the same thing, right?
The Punchline
This was easy to find:
Sodium chloride–enriched Diet Enhanced Inflammatory Cytokine Production and Exacerbated Experimental Colitis in Mice
Sodium chloride–enriched Diet Enhanced Inflammatory Cytokine Production and Exacerbated Experimental Colitis in Mice (2022). Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/11/2/237/2631835 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).