Eating hot sauce can produce a variety of physiological reactions, like a tingling (or pain) in the lips, tongue and throat. Other common reactions are sweating, increases in your metabolism and internal body temperature and in, extreme cases – ringing in the ears. If you enjoy hot sauces, you know they come with an endorphin rush when consuming large amounts. We all enjoy sensory experiences, things like sky and scuba diving, hiking to high altitudes and eating hot sauce makes life more interesting. Most, but not all of the potential responses to consumption of hot sauce are welcome, even for those who enjoy the taste of hot sauce. This is what we know about how hot sauce affects your body…

Hot sauce makes you sweat: Hot sauce lovers are likely to be familiar with one immediate reaction – sweating. That’s because some of the spiciest hot sauces contain compounds (capsaicin) that bind to nerve receptors along the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth that are activated by heat. Chiles, the flavorful backbone of hot sauces, contain the compound capsaicin, which binds to those receptors and then sends a pain signal to the brain. The main chemicals found in peppercorns, horseradish, and mustard also bind to the same receptors. These nerves send similar signals to the brain as they would if you came into contact with actual fire, which is why you might start sweating or become flushed; the body is cooling itself down. Capsaicin fools your body into thinking the temperature has risen, and so your brain thinks it needs to shed heat. In humans, we mostly do that by sweating. It is frustrating when we sample sauces to customers that do not have these nerve receptors – does not matter what we give them, we just can’t hurt them!

Hot sauce can cause gastrointestinal distress: Eating hot sauce in moderation is safe for people who don’t already have stomach issues. However, it can cause inflammation to the areas that aid digestion and can lead to heartburn, stomachaches or diarrhea. People with gastritis, which occurs when the lining of the stomach is inflamed, may be especially susceptible to increased abdominal pain.

Hot Sauce may benefit your health. Studies have shown that consuming hot sauce can be associated with some health benefits. One study found that taking a daily supplement of capsaicin – containing the amount in four or five habanero peppers – sped up metabolism, where participants burned the equivalent of an extra 200 calories per day over a 14-week period. In 2022 study involving more than 6,000 adults, scientists found that chili intake was linked with a reduction in calcium buildup in the walls of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. It is unclear, whether hot sauce can reduce the likelihood of obesity or heart attacks in the long term.

Evidence is mixed on whether hot sauce raises or lowers the risk of cancer. A few studies have found that daily consumption of hot sauce is associated with lower risks of gastric or colorectal cancers. While several experiments preformed on cells in labs have found that capsaicin and piperine – the chemical found in peppercorns – may help impede or destroy human breast cancer cells, scientists do not know if these findings might lead to potential treatment.

A 2015 study on nearly half a million people in China found that those who ate hot sauce six to seven times per week for several years had a 14% longer life expectancy when compared with those who ate spicy food less than once per week. The researchers thought these results were possibly related to the hot sauce antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can protect against conditions such as diabetes and certain types of cardiovascular disease.

Extreme reactions may occur: In rare cases, very hot hot sauce can cause extreme physiological reactions, like headaches or vomiting. If you have bitten into food that is spicier than you can handle, reach for something with high fat content like milk, sour cream, yogurt or ice cream. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so it won’t dissolve in water no matter how much you drink.

It is important to respect how much heat your body can take. If you enjoy hot sauce and your body can handle the heat, experts say there is no reason to avoid them.