How spicy foods like ramen, laphing, and golgappe hit your body

That fiery ramen bowl, a plate of Tibetan laphing, or a round of Delhi-style golgappe, spicy foods are irresistible for many of us. But have you ever wondered what all that chilli heat is doing inside your body? A 2018 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people who regularly ate spicy foods had a 26% lower risk of developing hypertension than those who rarely did.While that sounds like great news, the same fiery compounds that might benefit your heart can also irritate your stomach or trigger heartburn if you go overboard. So, let’s dive into what really happens when you load your plate with spice, and how your body reacts from the first bite to the final burn. When you eat spicy foods, the active compound called capsaicin binds to pain receptors in your