Hot Sauce is Good for You (If You Can Stand the Heat)

So, if you “put that s–t on everything” (slogan from a hot sauce manufacturer, not my obscenity) research has shown that, so long as it has a low sodium content, it has positive health effects. And apparently, more Americans are putting it on everything .as sales of hot sauce have increased by five percent every year since 2012.

It is also a fact that as a condiment, hot sauce has far fewer calories and fat content than, say, salad dressing or mayonnaise. However, as previously mentioned, some hot sauces have a high sodium content. For example, Frank’s Red Hot has 190 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon, while Tabasco Sauce only has 35 milligrams. For context, most nutritionists recommend we consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

What is it, exactly, that makes hot sauce a healthy condiment? Well, there are two answers, carotenoids and capsaicin, both of which are found in the peppers used to make all forms of hot sauce. Let’s deal with each in turn, shall we?

Carotenoids are present in plant pigments. They are responsible for the rainbow of colors found in the fruits and vegetables we eat. They act as an antioxidant in the human body and there are over 600 different types with two of the best-known being beta carotene and lycopene. Orange carotenoids are converted into vitamin A within the body which is essential for eye health. Carotenoids have also been linked to an improved immune system and cardiovascular, skin and cognitive health. Some examples of fruits and vegetables high in carotenoids include yams, tomatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, blueberries and, of course, peppers.

Capsaicin, on the other hand, is only found in hot peppers. It is capsaicin that provides peppers with their “heat,” so to speak. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains, but that does not make it healthier than other, less hot peppers. It is how the capsaicin reacts with other compounds in the pepper in question that makes it healthier. So do not go out there and start eating ghost peppers in an attempt to improve your health. Some salsa or hot sauce will do the trick without causing your eyes to water, lips to burn, nose to run…wait, this is what happens after being hit with pepper spray too…sorry, it is on my mind right now.

A lot of attention fell on capsaicin after a seven-year study was published in 2015 of thousands of Chinese adults. It found that people who ate spicy foods three or more times per week had a 14% reduced risk of death compared to those who ate spicy foods just once per week even after adjusting for other known or potential risk factors.

Other studies followed and found that capsaicin, now accepted as an antioxidant, could have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-hypertensive effects, as well as improving glucose homeostasis. Evidence also suggests that capsaicin has a positive effect on our gut microbiome – the bacteria, yeast and fungi in our digestive systems that have been linked to autism, diabetes, obesity, allergies and Parkinson’s disease.

Obviously, much more research needs to be conducted, but the early research into the health benefits of capsaicin is promising to say the least.

Finally, one last comment about hot sauce and its role in your diet. Most of us use condiments to enhance the flavor of what some consider unpalatable, yet healthy food. We put dressing on salad, ketchup on eggs, or cheese sauce on everything. Hot sauce can be used for the same purpose and if it gets you eating healthy foods you would otherwise ignore, then use it for that purpose. Oh yeah, one more thing, capsaicin, unlike other nutrients, is processed better after the peppers have been chopped, minced or liquified, so put that s–t on everything.