Many years ago, I became a Phaal Curry Monster, meaning I was brave (and dumb) enough to accept a restaurant ’s challenge to eat a plate of chicken drenched in curry made of the spiciest peppers on Earth. Each swallow felt like shards of glass scraping my throat. After finishing, I celebrated my achievement by throwing up in a bush across the street. The health benefits of spicy food could not have been further from my mind. But emerging research links chili peppers—if consumed more reasonably