Written by Laura J. (KIS'19)
━━ April 4, 2018 ━━
Do you enjoy eating spicy food? Why? Some people say it is because of the taste. However, many people say they often eat spicy food when they feel stressed. People say that eating spicy food makes them feel less stressful and happier. You may find this as a simple assumption or an emotional feeling; however, this has been scientifically proven by the scientists.
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The Science Behind Spicy Food Cravings
As many of you know, food, in general, impacts our bodies. You get energy from eating and your body shapes differently according to the food you eat. Your body depends on food. Surprisingly, food impacts our minds as well. You may not have realized, but it is actually part of your everyday life. For example, when you eat your favorite dish or such a delicious meal, you experience a sudden joy and delight. This is because these positive-energy feelings are closely related to a chemical in the brain that makes you feel great: endorphins. Endorphins are also known as the natural pain and stress relievers and are linked to happiness. Therefore, endorphins are a safe way that you can relieve pain and stress and lift your mood when you are down. Now how exactly do endorphins work when you eat spicy food?
What makes hot peppers spicy? Spicy food such as hot peppers contain compounds known as capsaicinoids, or better known as capsaicin. According to the scientists, the reason why capsaicin is called as a pain reliever is that capsaicin reduces the effects of arthritis pain, dermatological conditions, and neuropathic pain. The word “arthritis” in arthritis pain means “joint inflammation.” A joint is a point where two or more bones are fitted together. Inflammation is a body’s reaction to disease or injury which causes stiffness and pain. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis. Dermatology is the study of skin diseases and the treatment. Neuropathic pain, also known as nerve pain, is caused by damage or injury to the nerves. Some symptoms of a neuropathic pain include stabbing, tingling, and prickling due to dysfunction of the nerve system, failing to send proper signals between the brain and spinal cord from the skin, muscles, and other parts of the body. Capsaicin not only helps the body to acknowledge a pain, it also causes the body to release endorphins to prevent any dangers from the pain.
How does capsaicin interact with your body? When capsaicin touches your tongue, it interacts with TRPV1, a protein located on the surface of a tongue’s nerve cells. TRPV1 is a sensor for the cell that delivers messages and information from the outside. This protein often reacts with physical heat above 43˚C, allowing itself to carry the information to the brain to alert the brain to respond to the dangerous temperature. This process also happens when capsaicin interacts with TRPV1. It tricks your mouth and brain into thinking that you are eating something that is actually hot and are in danger of being burned. When capsaicin sends messages to the brain, neurons play an important role. The message sent from TRPV1 is transferred to the brain through neurons. The neurons then release a neurotransmitter called endorphins. Endorphins, then, interact with receptors in cells in the brain to block pain signals. At the same time, the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for reward and pleasure, is released.
Endorphins are one of the neurotransmitters, which are brain chemicals that transmit electrical signals throughout the nervous system. Endorphins are found in the pituitary gland or throughout the nervous system and are released by the pain and stress. They interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to help ourselves feel less pain. With high levels of endorphins, we feel less stressed and happier. This is because endorphins not only relieve pain and stress but also lead to positive feelings. This may remind you of opiate drugs, of how codeine and morphine affect us. However, endorphins are different from the drugs because endorphins are not addictive. Why? It’s because as the endorphins interact with the opioid receptors, they are quickly broken down by enzymes which allows them to be recycled to be reused next time.
The primary causes of the release of endorphins are pain and stress, as I mentioned previously, but what detects the pain? The hypothalamus detects the pain. The hypothalamus is where the brain gives you orders to take an action. It commands and controls your endocrine system, telling you to when you should eat, what you should do after doing one activity, and when you should go to sleep. It controls every part of your nervous system and your body. The hypothalamus adjusts the number of hormones to be released to other parts of the body.
Researchers have shown that consuming capsaicin benefits you in physical health and wellness, such as alleviating nasal congestion, headache prevention, allergy relief, blood clot prevention, balancing cholesterol, healthy blood pressure promotion, relieving joint pain. What's more, it prevents heart diseases as well. A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry by Chinese researchers have proved that capsaicin lowers blood cholesterol levels, blocking a gene that contracts arteries, which may lead to blocking the blood flow. These blockages are crucial because disruption in blood flow may lead to heart attacks or strokes. The Chinese researchers carried out an experiment with hamsters. They fed the hamsters with high-cholesterol diets and added foods with capsaicin to one group. In result, the hamster group with spicy foods had fewer cholesterol levels and athersclerotic plague and more relaxed arteries.
Now, this does not mean you have to eat spicy food to prevent the possible heart diseases. However, it shows that capsaicin in spicy food is not harmful, but rather beneficial when consumed. Craving spicy food may mean you are stressed and painful but once consumed, endorphins will make you feel happier.
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Bibliography:
- Cold, Flu & Cough et al. "Arthritis Pain Management." WebMD. N. p., 2018. Web. 10 Mar. 2018.
- "Compound That Makes Peppers Hot Could Help Kill Cancer Cells." UPI. N. p., 2018. Web. 10 Mar. 2018.
- Garden, Home, Life Science, and Inside Mind. "What Are Endorphins?." HowStuffWorks. N. p., 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2018.
- "Some Like It Hot: The Science Behind Spicy Food Cravings | Myrecipes." MyRecipes. N. p., 2018. Web. 10 Mar. 2018.
- "This Is Your Brain On Capsaicin | Helix Magazine." Helix.northwestern.edu. N. p., 2018. Web. 10 Mar. 2018.
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