I’m not a fan of spicy food. I don’t mind a jalapeno every so often on some nachos, but I am definitely not the person to ask for extra spicy salsa at Chipotle. My dearest friend, on the other hand, does not feel the same way. It’s hilarious to watch him down some extra spicy tacos and then break into a sweat. Obviously we got to thinking about why people sweat when they eat hot foods…Perspiration (sweat) is a fluid comprised mostly of water, with a small percent (0.1-1%) of solute (things dissolved in it; i.e. chlorides, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc, etc.). This fluid is produced by specialized cells in the skin and drips out of the sweat glands of all mammals. The body uses sweat as a way to regulate temperature (thermoregulation). As sweat evaporates off of the skin, it sucks up some energy with it and has a cooling effect. When you eat spicy foods your mouth feels hot, but your body temperature is not actually increasing, so why would you sweat?
Spicy foods contain chemicals that stimulate nocciceotors (pain sensors) in your mouth. These sensors are responsible for detecting pain and sending a signal to your central nervous system (the brain) telling it to fix the situation. Capsaicin (a chemical found in chili peppers) is known to affect these receptors.
When you eat a pepper the capsaicin will dissolve in your saliva and find its way around your mouth, attacking every nocciceotor it passes. Capsaicin can actually confuse the nocciceotors in your mouth into thinking that the body is getting hot because of some intense stimulus. To prevent damage from overheating, your brain (the hypothalamus in particular) responds by turning on the sweat. Before you know it, your head is dripping wet.
Very simple and straightforward.
yummm...spicy... :)
ReplyDeleteBecause I don't sweat a lot, I have such a hard time getting cool! Horrible.
I hate spicay.
ReplyDelete