"Hotter is healthier" some may say. The people of those countries where spicy cooking is the norm have understood the preventive and curative benefits of hot spices for hundreds of years. Capsaicin is the source of the heat in hot peppers. It is a colorless compound derived from plants of the genus Capsicum, which includes jalapeno peppers and habanero peppers. It also contributes to the heat in cayenne, chili pepper and red pepper sauces.
Capsicum can help prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots, acting as a natural blood thinner. In countries where diets are traditionally high in capsaicin, the cancer death rates for men and women are significantly lower than they are in countries with less chili pepper consumption.1 Capsaicin has been found to preferentially inhibit the growth of cancer cells in laboratory studies.2
Another study found that Capsaicin could inhibit the growth of fat cells.3 It is also believed that hot peppers boost the metabolic rate, which in turn burns extra calories.4 Losing excess pounds is as good for your health as it is for your vanity, since it reduces the risk of adult onset diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers and a host of other ailments.
So, stock up on Hotsauceshack hot sauces and make all your dishes extra spicy, if you can take the heat!

1 World Health Organization statistics
2 Park KK, Chun KS, Yook JI, Surh YJ. Lack of tumor promoting activity of capsaicin, a principal pungent ingredient of red pepper, in mouse skin carcinogenesis. Anticancer Res. 1998 Nov-Dec
3 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Volume 55, Pages 1730-1736, "Effects of Capsaicin on Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells"
4 The Chili Pepper Diet: The Natural Way to Control Cravings, Boost Metabolism and Lose Weight by Heidi Allison, 2002