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Bell peppers

Capsicum annuum

Also known as Sweet pepper, Capsicum, Green pepper, Red pepper

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Non-pungent cultivars of Capsicum annuum, harvested green or left to ripen to red, yellow or orange. Ripening changes their pigment and vitamin content substantially.

Women's HealthEye HealthImmune Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Iron status

Women's Health
Limited evidence

Research suggests that a vitamin C source eaten with a plant-based meal increases absorption of the iron in that meal, and red peppers are a concentrated source. Studies using peppers specifically, or measuring iron status over months, are lacking.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Macular health

Eye Health
Limited evidence

Orange peppers are one of the better food sources of zeaxanthin specifically, and higher intake of that carotenoid is associated with macular pigment density. Trials feeding peppers and measuring eye outcomes have not been done.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Immune function

Immune Health
Insufficient evidence

Peppers are promoted for immunity because of their vitamin C content. Correcting a vitamin C deficiency does matter for immune function, but there is no dependable evidence that eating more peppers changes infection rates in well-nourished people.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Bell peppers

Ask about Bell peppers

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories26 kcal1%
Protein0.99 g2%
Total fat0.3 g0%
Carbohydrate6.03 g2%
Fibre2.1 g8%
Total sugars4.2 g—
Water92.2 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.059 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.0070 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.156 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.1 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A157 µg17%
Vitamin C128 mg142%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E1.58 mg11%
Vitamin K4.9 µg4%
Thiamin (B1)0.054 mg5%
Riboflavin (B2)0.085 mg7%
Niacin (B3)0.979 mg6%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.317 mg6%
Vitamin B60.291 mg17%
Folate46 µg12%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline5.6 mg1%
Minerals
Calcium7 mg1%
Iron0.43 mg2%
Magnesium12 mg3%
Phosphorus26 mg2%
Potassium211 mg4%
Sodium4 mg0%
Zinc0.25 mg2%
Copper0.017 mg2%
Manganese0.112 mg5%
Selenium0.1 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene1624 µg—
Alpha-carotene20 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin51 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.47 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Peppers, sweet, red, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170108).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces vitamin C

    Red peppers are among the densest vitamin C sources by weight, and prolonged cooking destroys much of it. Brief cooking or eating them raw retains far more.

  • with fatIncreases carotenoid absorption

    The carotenoids in red and orange peppers need dietary fat for absorption, so roasting in oil or eating them with a dressing delivers substantially more into circulation.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    The nightshade and arthritis claim

    Peppers are often eliminated as part of nightshade-free regimes for joint pain. Controlled research does not support a link between nightshade vegetables and arthritis symptoms.

  • Allergy

    Latex and pollen cross-reactivity

    Bell pepper appears on the list of foods that cross-react with natural rubber latex, and oral allergy symptoms are also reported in people sensitised to mugwort pollen.

  • Worth knowing

    Reflux and digestive symptoms

    Peppers are commonly reported as a heartburn trigger in reflux disease, and their skins can be poorly tolerated by some people with functional gut symptoms.