Consumption of spicy foods and the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome

Figure 1 Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome across different categories of spicy food consumption in men and women. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was defined according to the Rome III criteria. Consumption of spicy foods was associated with an increased prevalence of IBS among women (P < 0.05). A trend for greater prevalence of IBS with consumption of spicy foods was also seen in men; however, a slight drop in its prevalence was evident in the top category.