Hot Chili Pepper: Complete Amino Acid Profile

Hot Chili Pepper: Considered a good source of amino acids?

Hot chili peppers contain some amino acids, but not in very large quantities. Amino acids are essential for building proteins and providing an array of other important functions in the body. Hot chili peppers provide a relatively small amount of all 20 naturally occurring amino acids, with only four being especially abundant: leucine, isoleucine, valine, and lysine. While these four amino acids can be beneficial if you’re deficient, they’re likely to have little benefit if your diet is already rich in complete proteins like meats, dairy products, legumes, and grains. Moreover, hot chili peppers should not be consumed by people who experience GERD or peptic ulcers as they may aggravate acid reflux. Therefore, although some amino acids can be found in this spicy vegetable, it's best to obtain most of them from other sources such as animal proteins.