Cebu City - Spicy foods are common in Asian countries but not too much in the Philippines, but surely spicy foods are present everywhere. Adding spiciness to a meal or dish may be daring for some but it surely does give the dish some extra pizzaz.

Chilies have a compound known as capsaicin which is the one responsible for the burning sensation of the tongue or mouth after biting into any kind of chili peppers. This compound capsaicin is also beneficial to the body. Here are 5 benefits of eating spicy foods.

• Improves heart health: Eating spicy foods reduces the chances of acquiring cardiovascular disease. It lessens the chances of increasing bad cholesterol known as the low density lipo-protein or LDL. Capsaicin lessens inflammation internally, which is also a factor of heart issues.
• Boosts metabolism: Research shows that spicy foods improve metabolism. It increases the breaking down of fat and helps in burning more energy. This benefit helps in weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight range.
• Boosts mood: Spicy foods is seen to work like a hormone endorphin and like serotonin which reduces pain and discomfort.It elevates mood which lessens the risk of depression or stress.
• Good digestion: Capsaicin aids in improving gut health, when it enters the digestive tract, it creates the chemical anandamide which lessens inflammation of the gut or digestive tract. It also improves digestion by increasing digestive fluids found in the stomach. 
• Pain reliever: Capsaicin can also work as an analgesic which relieves pain internally or externally. It helps with arthritic or neuropathic pain, thus capsaicin is also an ingredient found mostly in numbing cream.

Eating spicy foods is beneficial but too much of it can also cause damaging or discomfort to the body especially those who are not used to it; therefore, moderation is the key. // NO I Christine April M. Lopez, RND