While spicy food tastes good and may have many positive health attributes, the fact that it is an irritant is undeniable. Think of any time that you have accidentally rubbed your eye after handling anything spicy and you won’t forget. Just as spicy food irritates mucous membranes, spicy food also irritates your stomach and intestines. Spices may produce feelings of dyspepsia or indigestion. In particular black pepper, red pepper, and chili powder, may produce indigestion.

Although some studies suggest that red chili powder has no detrimental effect on ulcer healing and that daily pepper ingestion may have a beneficial adaptive response for your immune system, both red pepper and black pepper cause significant increases in secretions in the stomach that typically increase acidity- specifically parietal secretion and pepsin secretion. The spices tested increased acid secretion in the following declining order: red pepper, fennel, omum, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, coriander. This suggests that red pepper is much worse than black pepper or coriander for your stomach.

Direct administration of red and black pepper on the cells in the stomach has also been observed to cause them to shed their out layers. Bleeding from the stomach lining has also been directly visualized after both red and black pepper administration. One study suggests that red and black pepper might be just as bad for your stomach as aspirin and therefore should be avoided. Other studies have also reported epigastric pain and dyspepsia. The mechanism of epigastric pain and dyspepsia induced by red and black pepper is not well understood.

During the first few months after a gastric bypass or a sleeve, the stomach and in the former, the intestines are healing and anything that irritates the stomach should be avoided. If you are years after your operation, your connections have stabilized and it is important that you pay attention to any feelings of intestinal discomfort. If you develop abdominal pain or indigestion after spicy food, that is a sign that you should avoid spices. If you have ever developed an ulcer or a marginal ulcer, then spicy food should also be avoided.

While still controversial and under evaluation, bariatric patients should avoid any spice that causes discomfort, especially during the first few months after their surgery.