Could eating hot foods like horseradish, wasabi, and hot sauce, be a way to keep cool?
According to University of Missouri horticulturist Dave Trinklein, there is scientific evidence suggesting that eating something spicy on a hot summer day can make you feel cooler by triggering sweat.
“Anything that can essentially trigger the sensation of feeling hot,” Trinklein said. “Of course, that is triggered by the response on the tongue in the olfactory sense.”
Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is the sense which smells are perceived.
“Whenever we ingest something that makes us feel even hotter, then it kicks in what’s known as the gustatorial perspiration response,” he explained. “That additional amount of perspiration is designed to cool off the face and, from there, hopefully the remainder of the body.”
Keeping cool requires a little bit of common sense also, meaning, it’s best to probably not drink a lot of hot sauce in place of ice water.
He recommended being cautious when working or spending time outside, as the hot weather can trigger symptoms of heat exhaustion quicker.
“Essentially, watching ourselves so that we aren’t overcome by heat,” he said. “The horseradish, the hot pepper, is rather a whimsical way that you could try to cool down, but safety first when it comes to working in the garden.”
Trinklein said oddly, horseradish needs to be kept cold to stay hot.
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