Eating hot peppers does not cause ulcers. In fact, among the many health benefits of capsaicin, it lowers acid production in the stomach. It’s actually been considered as a preventative treatment when taking things that DO actually cause ulcers–again, spicy food not being one of them.

This connection between spicy foods and ulcers is a long perpetuated myth that has been disproven over and over again. Capsaicin can, however, aggravate preexisting ulcers.