Green pepper: a lot of vitamin C and very little else settled

The strongest evidence filed under green pepper was collected on capsules. Pooling 4 randomised trials in adults with metabolic syndrome, Capsicum annuum supplements lowered total cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL, a weighted mean difference of -4.98 with a confidence interval of -7.08 to -2.88, and left LDL, HDL and triglycerides unchanged. In a larger pooling of 11 trials in 609 people the supplements did lower LDL, by a standardised 0.39, though the prediction interval runs from -1.28 to 0.50, so the next trial could as easily land on nothing. Neither review fed anyone a pepper. What the vegetable itself carries in quantity is vitamin C. Eight analysed samples of raw green bell pepper averaged 99.5 mg per 100 g and ran from 70 to 138. The British table lists 120 mg for its own raw sample, and that spread is cultivar and ripeness rather than one number being wrong. A regular raw pepper weighs 120 g in US survey measures and a cup of chopped pepper 150 g.

How much is actually in it

• A global meta-analysis of 140 composition studies put pepper fruit at 20 to 25 g potassium, 1 to 1.5 g magnesium, 80 to 100 mg iron and 20 to 40 mg zinc per kg. Green vegetable peppers held more of all four than hot peppers, and iron and zinc have trended down over the last decade. — 649 to 811 datapoints per mineral from 140 published composition studies of Capsicum spp. fruit worldwide (n = 140 publications) Evidence D source
  Global mean K 20 to 25 g/kg, Mg 1 to 1.5 g/kg, Fe 80 to 100 mg/kg, Zn 20 to 40 mg/kg; lower in less developed regions; Fe and Zn decreasing with single fruit weight
• The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists red and green peppers among the best food sources of vitamin C and notes that cooking and prolonged storage reduce vitamin C because it is water soluble and destroyed by heat, with steaming or microwaving losing less. — General population, US fact sheet for health professionals Evidence E source
  Qualitative: cooking reduces vitamin C; steaming or microwaving may lessen losses; five varied servings of fruit and vegetables can provide more than 200 mg
• In the UK CoFID tables, raw green pepper holds 120 mg vitamin C per 100 g and the same pepper boiled in unsalted water holds 69 mg, a 43% drop. Folate falls from 36 to 19 micrograms and potassium stays at 120 to 140 mg. — Peppers, capsicum, green, raw (CoFID 13-318) and boiled in unsalted water (CoFID 13-548), UK (n = 2 dataset entries) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: vitamin C 120 mg raw vs 69 mg boiled; folate 36 vs 19 ug; carotene 265 vs 240 ug; potassium 120 vs 140 mg; energy 15 vs 18 kcal
• Across 8 USDA Foundation samples of raw green bell pepper, vitamin C ranged from 70 to 138 mg per 100 g around a mean of 99.5 mg, and folate from 16 to 34 micrograms. A single pepper can hold far less or far more than the table value. — Peppers, bell, green, raw (USDA Foundation Foods, FDC 2258588), 8 analysed samples (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C mean 99.51 mg/100 g, range 70.35 to 138.0 (median 96.23), spread 68%; folate mean 22.21 ug, range 16.0 to 33.7, spread 80%; potassium mean 163.1 mg, range 143 to 175, spread 20%; vitamin B6 0.2468 mg, range 0.2125 to 0.278

What a real portion looks like

• In US dietary survey portions, one regular raw green pepper weighs 120 g, one cup of chopped pepper 150 g, a miniature pepper 30 g and a single ring or piece 10 g. — Peppers, sweet, green, raw (FNDDS food code 75122100, FDC 2709800), US household measures (n = 6 portion measures) Evidence E source
  1 piece 10 g; 1 ring 10 g; 1 miniature 30 g; 1 regular 120 g; 1 cup 150 g; quantity not specified 20 g

What your body absorbs

• In 51 Spanish women aged about 62, green pepper consumption correlated with beta-carotene (r 0.36) and lycopene (r 0.31) stored in adipose tissue, which shows carotenoids from green pepper are absorbed, but no study has measured how much. — 51 women, mean age 62, control group of the EURAMIC study in Malaga, Spain; food frequency questionnaire and 48-hour recall, adipose biopsy and plasma (n = 51) Evidence C source
  Adipose beta-carotene vs green pepper r 0.36 (p under 0.05); adipose lycopene vs green pepper r 0.31 (p under 0.05); adjusted regression coefficient 1.90 for beta-carotene per 100 g/day (p under 0.10)

What cooking and storage change

• In a laboratory comparison of heat treatments, contact grilling raised the measurable total polyphenol content of green bell peppers from 2.75 to 15.43 mg GAE per g dry basis, while steaming and roasting reduced the antioxidant activity of yellow peppers. — Green, yellow and red bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) subjected to contact grilling, roasting, roasting with microwaving and steam cooking; laboratory assays (n = 3 maturity stages, 4 treatments) Evidence D source
  Green pepper total polyphenols 2.75 mg GAE/g d.b. raw, 15.43 after contact grilling, 15.24 after roasting with microwaving; yellow pepper antioxidant activity 14.29 mg TE/g d.b. raw, 3.49 after roasting, 6.45 after steaming
• No study measured vitamin C loss in boiled green pepper itself. The USDA retention factor for other vegetables boiled in water to cover and drained predicts 25% of vitamin C and 35% of folate lost, with potassium 90% retained. — Vegetables and Vegetable Products (USDA group 11), other vegetables boiled in water to cover and drained (n = USDA R6 table, one group-by-method row) Evidence E source
  USDA-RETN-R6:3775 retained after boiling and draining: vitamin C 75%, folate 65%, thiamin 80%, vitamin B6 85%, potassium 90%, iron 95%

What it does to your health

• In 24 untrained young men, 12 mg per day of capsiate from Capsicum annuum extract for 10 weeks alongside resistance training changed nothing in fat mass, appetite, leptin or adiponectin compared with placebo, and no trial of eating green pepper itself exists. — 24 healthy untrained men aged about 22, randomised to capsiate 12 mg/day or placebo, both with 10 weeks of progressive resistance training (n = 24) Evidence B source
  No supplementation by training interaction for body composition, fat mass, appetite ratings, energy intake, leptin or adiponectin (P over 0.05)
• Among 2,451 older adults in a cross-sectional study, eating sweet peppers 2 to 3 times a week or more was associated with 34% lower odds of sarcopenia than almost never eating them. — 2,451 older adults, community sample, Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia definition, food frequency questionnaire (n = 2451) Evidence C source
  Sweet pepper: OR 0.73 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.96) for 1 time/week or less, OR 0.66 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.95) for 2 to 3 times/week or more, P for trend under 0.01; sarcopenia prevalence 16.1%

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a meta-analysis of 29 Ethiopian market and farm surveys covering 6,659 produce samples, green pepper was the second most bacterially contaminated vegetable at 35.3%, after mixed salad at 73.8%. — 6,659 vegetable and fruit samples from 29 studies in Ethiopian farms and markets, 2010 to January 2025 (n = 6659 samples) Evidence C source
  Bacterial contamination: salad 73.8%, green pepper 35.3%, lettuce 26.0%, cabbage 20.0%; overall contaminated produce 48.76% (95% CI 40.78 to 56.74)
• In 347 vegetable samples from markets in southern Ethiopia, green pepper was the least parasite-contaminated vegetable at 10.6% against 35.0% for tomato, and a separate 360-sample survey gave green pepper the lowest Strongyloides risk score of 0.14. — 347 vegetable samples purchased in Arba Minch markets, January to March 2018, wet mount and modified Ziehl-Neelsen microscopy (n = 347 samples) Evidence C source
  Any parasite: 25.1% overall; tomato 35.0% (highest), green pepper 10.6% (lowest); vegetable type associated with contamination (chi-square 13.5, p 0.009)
• In 582 Portuguese haemodialysis patients followed longitudinally, eating bell peppers was among the foods that predicted greater overhydration between dialysis sessions, independent of age, sex, diabetes and time on dialysis. — 582 patients from 37 haemodialysis centres in Portugal, observational longitudinal study (n = 582) Evidence C source
  Bacon, savory snacks, carrots, bell peppers, cherries and soup predicted greater hyperhydration; rice, cookies and grapes the opposite; no effect size in abstract
• In a 17-month-old boy who reacted to a cayenne and black pepper marinade, specific IgE to cayenne pepper was 0.11 kU/L, while IgE to green pepper, black pepper, chili pepper, tomato, garlic and onion was undetectable. — One 17-month-old boy with mild eczema and urticaria, facial swelling and cough after a spiced marinade (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Skin tests positive to cayenne and black pepper extracts; IgE undetectable to black pepper, chili pepper, lemon, tomato, garlic, onion, green pepper and white pepper; cayenne IgE 0.11 kU/L

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a meta-analysis of 4 randomised trials in adults with metabolic syndrome, Capsicum annuum supplements lowered total cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL and did not change LDL, HDL or triglycerides, and these were extract supplements rather than the vegetable. — Adults with metabolic syndrome and related disorders in 4 RCTs of Capsicum annuum supplementation, literature to March 2021 (n = 4 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Total cholesterol WMD -4.98 mg/dL (95% CI -7.08 to -2.88, p 0.001 or less); triglycerides, HDL-C and LDL-C not significantly changed
• Pooling 11 randomised trials with 609 participants, Capsicum annuum supplements reduced LDL cholesterol by a standardised 0.39 and body weight by a non-significant 0.19 standard deviations, with a prediction interval that crosses zero. — 609 participants in 11 randomised placebo-controlled trials of Capsicum annuum supplementation, literature to April 2020 (n = 609) Evidence A source
  LDL-C SMD -0.39 (95% CI -0.72 to -0.07, P 0.02; prediction interval -1.28 to 0.50); body weight SMD -0.19 (95% CI -0.40 to 0.03, P 0.09)
• In rural central Ethiopia, green pepper was among the foods most commonly avoided by pregnant women as a taboo, along with green leafy vegetables, yogurt, cheese and sugar cane, especially among older mothers with no formal education. — Pregnant women, husbands, elders, community leaders and health workers in Arsi, rural central Ethiopia; 38 in-depth interviews and 8 focus groups (n = 38 interviews, 8 focus groups) Evidence C source
  Qualitative: taboo reported most often for green leafy vegetables, yogurt, cheese, sugar cane and green pepper; more common in older, rural, illiterate women

The bottom line

Boiling costs a good part of that vitamin C. The British table gives 120 mg per 100 g raw and 69 mg for the same pepper boiled in unsalted water, a 43 percent drop, with folate falling from 36 to 19 micrograms and potassium steady at 120 to 140 mg. Those are two separately analysed entries, so the loss includes whatever leaches into the water. Nobody has measured the loss on green pepper directly. The USDA group factor for other vegetables boiled to cover and drained, a row dated 1975, keeps 75 percent of vitamin C, 65 percent of folate and 90 percent of potassium. The NIH fact sheet names red and green peppers among the best food sources of vitamin C and says steaming or microwaving lose less than boiling, without putting a figure on it. One laboratory study measured more extractable polyphenols in grilled green pepper, 15.43 against 2.75 mg GAE per g dry basis, which is water loss and a broken-up matrix rather than a pepper that grew richer, and it did not report vitamin C at all. Carotenoids do get out of the vegetable and into the body. In 51 Spanish women around 62, green pepper intake correlated with beta-carotene at r 0.36 and lycopene at r 0.31 in fat tissue, which shows absorption happens and not how much. Beyond that the record thins. Among 2,451 older adults, those eating sweet peppers 2 to 3 times a week or more had 34 percent lower odds of sarcopenia, OR 0.66 from 0.45 to 0.95, measured at one moment in people who differ in many ways, so nobody can say which came first. In 24 untrained young men, 12 mg a day of capsiate extract for 10 weeks alongside resistance training changed nothing in fat mass, appetite, leptin or adiponectin. A global pooling of 140 composition studies puts pepper fruit at 20 to 25 g potassium and 80 to 100 mg iron per kg, with green vegetable peppers above hot ones and iron and zinc drifting down over the past decade, which is a laboratory trend and not something a shopper can taste. The cautions worth naming are narrow. Both contamination findings come from Ethiopian farms and markets, where green pepper was the second most bacterially contaminated produce at 35.3 percent across 29 surveys and the least parasite-contaminated vegetable at 10.6 percent in a 347-sample survey. A survey in Bangladesh found 60 percent of green pepper samples contaminated, so these numbers follow the water and the hands rather than the plant. Wash it. People on haemodialysis are a separate case, and among 582 Portuguese patients bell peppers were among the foods that predicted greater overhydration between sessions, with no size given for that association in the abstract. On allergy there is one 17-month-old boy who reacted to a cayenne and black pepper marinade and whose IgE to green pepper was undetectable. One child does not settle whether spice pepper allergy carries over to the sweet vegetable. We found no study of allergy to green pepper itself. In rural Arsi in Ethiopia green pepper is one of the foods pregnant women are told to avoid, and that is a described belief with nothing in the record behind it.

Sources

1. gpep-c3-01 · meta-analysis of food composition studies
   The analysis showed that the global average of K, Mg, Fe and Zn content in pepper fruits was 20-25 g kg-1, 1-1.5 g kg-1, 80-100 mg kg-1, and 20-40 mg kg-1, respectively. There had been a downward trend in pepper fruit nutritional quality over the last decade, especially for Fe and Zn...Our results showed that the vegetable "green pepper" contains more K, Mg, Fe and Zn than the "hot pepper" used as spice.
   Food Res Int, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
2. gpep-c3-12 · fact sheet
   The best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, and Brussels sprouts...The vitamin C content of food may be reduced by prolonged storage and by cooking because ascorbic acid is water soluble and is destroyed by heat [6,8]. Steaming or microwaving may lessen cooking losses.
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals · checked 2026-09-23
3. gpep-c3-15 · reference dataset
   13-318 Peppers, capsicum, green, raw | Vitamin C (mg) 120 | Folate (ug) 36 | Potassium (mg) 120 || 13-548 Peppers, capsicum, green, boiled in unsalted water | Vitamin C (mg) 69 | Folate (ug) 19 | Potassium (mg) 140
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-23
4. gpep-c3-16 · reference dataset
   Peppers, bell, green, raw | Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 99.51 MG, range 70.35-138.0 (median 96.23), 8 samples, spread 68% | Folate, total 22.21 UG, range 16.0-33.7 (median 19.4), 8 samples, spread 80% | Potassium, K 163.1 MG, range 143.0-175.0 (median 166.5), 8 samples, spread 20%
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-23
5. gpep-c3-17 · reference dataset
   Peppers, sweet, green, raw · FNDDS 75122100 · fdc_id 2709800 | 1 piece 10 g | 1 ring 10 g | 1 miniature 30 g | 1 regular 120 g | 1 cup 150 g | Quantity not specified 20 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-23
6. gpep-c3-06 · cross-sectional
   In adipose tissue, beta-carotene was correlated with consumption of green pepper (r = 0.36; p < 0.05) and lycopene with total fruit/vegetable intake (r = 0.28; p < 0.05), green pepper (r = 0.31; p < 0.05), and carrot (r = 0.25; p < 0.10).
   Int J Vitam Nutr Res, 2003 · checked 2026-09-23
7. gpep-c3-13 · laboratory study
   Some of the processes used, such as contact grilling (15.43 mg GAE/g d.b.) and roasting combined with microwaving (15.24 mg GAE/g d.b.), proved to be beneficial as the total polyphenol content of green peppers (2.75 mg GAE/g d.b.) increased. The roasting (3.49 mg TE/g d.b.) and steaming (6.45 mg TE/g d.b.) methods decreased the antioxidant activity of yellow bell peppers (14.29 mg TE/g d.b.).
   Molecules, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
8. gpep-c3-14 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3775 VEG,OTHER,BLD,WATER COVER,DRAINED | vitamin_c_mg 75% | folate_total_ug 65% | thiamin_mg 80% | vitamin_b6_mg 85% | potassium_mg 90% | iron_mg 95%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-23
9. gpep-c3-04 · RCT
   Twenty-four young men (age, 22.0 ± 2.9) were randomized to either capsiate supplementation (CAP = 12 mg/day) or placebo (PL), and both groups were assigned to resistance training...CAP supplementation (12 mg, 7 days per week) failed to change adipose tissue-derived hormones, appetite, body composition and muscle strength in this population.
   Nutr Res, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
10. gpep-c3-05 · cross-sectional
    After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for sarcopenia across chili and sweet pepper consumption categories were 1.00 (reference) for almost never, 0.73 (0.55, 0.97) and 0.73 (0.56, 0.96) for ≤1 time/week, 0.60 (0.39, 0.90) and 0.66 (0.45, 0.95) for ≥2-3 times/week (both P for trend <0.01), respectively.
    Aging (Albany NY), 2021 · checked 2026-09-23
11. gpep-c3-07 · meta-analysis of observational surveys
    Lettuce (61.0%), salad (57.4%), spinach (54.2%), and cabbage (52.9%), were the vegetables most contaminated by parasites, while salad (73.8%), green pepper (35.3%), lettuce (26.0%), and cabbage (20.0%), were the most contaminated by bacteria.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23
12. gpep-c3-08 · cross-sectional
    Among 347 vegetable samples examined, 87(25.1%) were contaminated with at least one parasite species. Tomato (35.0%) was the most commonly contaminated vegetable while green pepper (10.6%) was the least contaminated one.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2019 · checked 2026-09-23
13. gpep-c3-09 · observational cohort
    Consumption of bacon, savory snacks, carrots, bell peppers, cherries, and soup predicted greater hyperhydration, while rice, cookies, and grapes show the opposite effect, regardless of age, sex, diabetes, and HD duration.
    Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
14. gpep-c3-11 · case report
    IgE radioallergosorbent results showed undetectable levels to black pepper, chili pepper, lemon, tomato, garlic, onion, green pepper, and white pepper. Specific IgE to cayenne pepper was detected at 0.11 kU/L.
    WMJ, 2011 · checked 2026-09-23
15. gpep-c3-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    The results of four eligible RCTs showed that C. annuum supplementation could significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: -4.98 mg/dL, 95% CI: -7.08 to -2.88, p ≤ 0.001) levels, but did not regulate triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.
    Phytother Res, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
16. gpep-c3-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Analysis of the included 11 studies (n = 609) showed that C. annuum supplementation had significant effect on low density lipoprotein-cholesterol [SMD = - 0.39; 95% CI - 0.72, - 0.07; P = 0.02; prediction interval, - 1.28 to 0.50] and marginally significant effect on body weight [SMD = - 0.19; 95% CI - 0.40, 0.03; P = 0.09].
    Sci Rep, 2020 · checked 2026-09-23
17. gpep-c3-10 · qualitative cross-sectional
    The most common taboos were related to the consumption of green leafy vegetables, yogurt, cheese, sugar cane, and green pepper. However, the frequency and extent of the practice varied by maternal age, family composition, and literacy level.
    J Health Popul Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-09-23