First draft

5500300 section 2
Group : Ping and friends
Introducing your research

Topic

Study of association between spicy food and GERD

in Thai people
Stage 1: Background

Eating spicy food can produce a variety of physiological reactions, like a tingling in the
tongue and lips, as well as sweating , In a 2022 involving more than 6,000 adults, scientists
found that chile intake was linked with a reduction in calcium buildup in the walls of the
coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.

Eating spicy food in moderation is generally safe for people who don’t already have
stomach issues. However, it can cause inflammation to the areas that aid digestion and can
sometimes lead to heartburn, stomachaches or especially GERD.

In spicy food there is a substance called “ capsaicin ” that is a major component of chili,
which is a common food ingredient worldwide.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a very common digestive disorder

worldwide. According to the Montreal definition, GERD is a condition of troublesome
symptoms and complications that result from the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus
(2)

Common signs and symptoms of GERD include a burning sensation in your

chest (heartburn), usually after eating, which might be worse at night or while lying
down, Backwash (regurgitation) of food or sour liquid, Upper abdominal or chest pain,
Trouble swallowing (dysphagia),
Stage 2 : Finding

Among a general population cohort of 3120 in Thailand, the prevalence of GERD has
been reported as 7.4% of those affected by heartburn and/or acid regurgitation and even higher in
asthmatic patients, at 37.50% (21 of 56 patients) (3) . According to the study of Warsaw in the
patients aged 18–65 years with symptoms of GERD, the symptoms intensifies following product
intake that high in fat (p = 0.004), fried (p = 0.022), sour (p = 0.003), or spicy (p = 0.014). (4) The
research shows that spicy products – due to the presence of irritant alkaloids, such as capsaicin –
stimulate mechanoreceptors in the esophagus, which might result in unpleasant symptoms,
particularly if the esophagus already contains inflammatory lesions of the mucosal membrane. (4)
The study of the large sample of Iranian adults suggest that high consumption of spicy foods was
related to a greater risk of uninvestigated heartburn, which is one of GERD’s symptoms, in men,
but not in women. (5)

The Scoville scale uses Scoville Heat Units, also known as, SHU which is the unit used
to measure the concentration of capsaicin in the chillies(6). Capsaicin can stimulate the transient
receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptors in the gastrointestinal tract and can cause pain
and a burning sensation in humans. Although the effect of chili on gastrointestinal sensation has
been well demonstrated, the effect of chili on gastric motor function has not been well explored.
Previous studies demonstrated that ingestion of a meal with capsaicin in a capsule delays gastric
emptying, which can lead to prolonged gastric retention of food that may have a propensity to
reflux, thus resulting in GERD (7).

Additionally, the study compared the effects of patients who consumed 2 grams of chili to
those of patient who ate placebo, and the findings revealed that patients who consumed the 2
grams of chili had higher baseline symptom scores for GERD such as abdominal burning,
abdominal pain, heartburn, abdominal fullness, food regurgitation, and belching(7).

Another study explains that capsaicin increases lower esophageal sphincter pressure and
esophageal pressure wave amplitudes, and decreases the percentage of normal gastric electrical
activity. Intraesophageal capsaicin infusion and high levels of ingested capsaicin can also trigger
GERD (8).

Stage 3 : Pointing a gap

Many research studies have not precisely quantified the level of spiciness or the "spicy
unit" in spicy foods. This lack of standardized measurement makes it ambiguous and unfair to
definitively determine whether spicy food iS the cause of Gastroesophageal reflux disease in
individuals. Furthermore, No studies to date have investigated the relationship between GERD
and the consumption of spicy food by Thai people ,and the effect of chili containing capsaicin on
gastric accommodation in humans has not been explored

Stage 4 : Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effect of spicy foods on GERD among Thai people.

Stage 5 : Contribution

This study could potentially be beneficial for Thai people who are in good health or have

gastrointestinal conditions like GERD, as it aims to assess the impact of the "spicy food" on

them.

Reference

1) El-Serag HB, Sweet S, Winchester CC, Dent J. Update on the epidemiology of

gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review. Gut. 2014;63:871–880.
2) Vakil N, van Zanten SV, Kahrilas P, Dent J, Jones R Global Consensus Group. The
Montreal definition and classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a global
evidence-based consensus. Am J Gastroenterol. 2006;101:1900–1920.
3) Thailand guideline 2020 for medical management of gastroesophageal reflux disease -
wiley online library. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgh.15758
(Accessed: 03 July 2023).
4) Jarosz M, Taraszewska A. Risk factors for gastroesophageal reflux disease – the role of
diet. Gastroenterology Review/Prze on gląd Gastroenterologiczny. 2014;9(5):297-301.
doi:10.5114/pg.2014.46166.
5) Rajaie, S. et al. (2019) Spicy food consumption and risk of uninvestigated heartburn in
isfahani adults, Karger Publishers. Available at:
https://karger.com/ddi/article-abstract/38/3/178/95679/Spicy-Food-Consumption-and-Ris
k-of-Uninvestigated (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
6) Mona C. (2023). Thai Chillies Heat Levels-Scoville Scale. Available at:
https://www.thai-food-online.co.uk/blogs/thai-food-online-blog/thai-chillies-scoville-scale
7) Patcharatrakul T, Kriengkirakul C. Acute Effects of Red Chili, a Natural Capsaicin
Receptor Agonist, on Gastric Accommodation and Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms in
Healthy Volunteers and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Patients. Nutrients. 2020 Dec
4;12(12):3740. doi: 10.3390/nu12123740. PMID: 33291700; PMCID: PMC7761989.
8) Identifying responders to acid suppression in ... - Wiley Online Library. (n.d.).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2000.00866.x