The Relationship Between Spicy Food Consumption and Overweight or Obesity: A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35451/jkg.v9i1.3751Keywords:
spicy food, chili pepper, capsaicin, overweight, obesity, lipid profileAbstract
Background: The prevalence of obesity continues to increase globally and in Indonesia. One of the contributing factors is the consumption of unhealthy foods, including excessive spicy food. Chili peppers, one of the main ingredients in spicy foods, contain capsaicin, a bioactive compound that may influence appetite, energy intake, and body weight regulation.Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between spicy food consumption and overweight or obesity status.Method: This study employed a narrative literature review method. Relevant articles were identified through Google Scholar and PubMed and were analyzed to evaluate the association between spicy food consumption and overweight or obesity.Results: The reviewed studies indicated that a high frequency of chili consumption was positively associated with an increased risk of obesity, particularly central obesity. Daily consumption of spicy foods, especially when accompanied by high intake of meat and oil, was associated with a greater risk of overweight and obesity. Furthermore, spicy food consumption was influenced by various factors, including gender, age, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and environmental conditions.Conclusion: The findings suggest that the frequency and intensity of spicy food consumption are associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. However, this relationship is also influenced by dietary patterns and other individual and environmental factors.
Downloads
References
[1] World Obesity Federation, World Obesity Atlas 2022. London, United Kingdom: World Obesity Federation, 2022.
[2] Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, Laporan Nasional Riskesdas 2018. Jakarta, Indonesia: Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Kesehatan, 2018.
[3] Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, Laporan Riskesdas Jawa Timur 2018. Jakarta, Indonesia: Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Kesehatan, 2018.
[4] World Health Organization, “Obesity and overweight,” Mar. 1, 2024.
[5] A. N. Suseno, R. S. P. Suseno, and P. B. Mohamad, “Hubungan Kebiasaan Mengonsumsi Makanan Pedas dengan Indeks Massa Tubuh pada Wanita Dewasa di Kota Tasikmalaya pada Tahun 2021,” Bandung Conference Series: Medical Science, vol. 2, no. 1, 2022, doi: 10.29313/bcsms.v2i1.540.
[6] M. Wang, W. Huang, and Y. Xu, “Effects of spicy food consumption on overweight/obesity, hypertension and blood lipids in China: a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies,” Nutrition Journal, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 29, 2023.
[7] Z. Shi, M. Riley, A. W. Taylor, and A. Page, “Chilli consumption and the incidence of overweight and obesity in a Chinese adult population,” International Journal of Obesity, vol. 41, no. 7, pp. 1074-1079, 2017.
[8] X. Yang et al., “Spicy food consumption is associated with abdominal obesity among Chinese Han population aged 30-79 years in the Sichuan Basin: A population-based cross-sectional study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 1881, 2022.
[9] K. Yang et al., “Relationship between spicy flavor, spicy food intake frequency, and general obesity in a rural adult Chinese population: The RuralDiab study,” Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 252-261, 2018.
[10] M. Liu, Y. Zhu, and F. Wang, “Does chili pepper consumption affect BMI and obesity risk? A cross-sectional analysis,” Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 11, Art. no. 1410256, 2024.
[11] H. Xiong, P. Zhao, F. Ma, D. Tang, and D. Liu, “Spicy food intake and overweight/obesity in rural Southwest China: findings from a cross-sectional study,” Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 12, Art. no. 1526775, 2025.
[12] K. Yang et al., “Association of the frequency of spicy food intake and the risk of abdominal obesity in rural Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study,” BMJ Open, vol. 9, no. 11, Art. no. e028736, 2019.
[13] Y. Xue et al., “Association between spicy food consumption and lipid profiles in adults: A nationwide population-based study,” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 118, no. 2, pp. 144-153, 2017.
[14] K. Yu, Y. Xue, T. He, L. Guan, A. Zhao, and Y. Zhang, “Association of spicy food consumption frequency with serum lipid profiles in older people in China,” The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 311-320, 2018.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Amanda Haliza Meylannurdiya, Triska Susila Nindya

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright in each article is the property of the Author.























