The Science Behind Spicy Food

Why does some food leave a burning sensation in our mouth? A chemical compound called capsaicin is the one to blame! After you take a bite of something spicy, capsaicin binds to the receptors (called TRPV1) on the surface of sensory organs of our tongue called taste buds. After binding, these receptors open to allow ions to run through them. Your TRPV1 receptors aren't supposed to detect capsaicin. Instead, they are meant to detect hot food in terms of temperature.

So, when the receptors interact with capsaicin, they send a response to your nervous system, which causes your brain to release this warming or burning sensation to the mouth. Your brain is tricked and thinks that you ate hot food! This trick causes many body reactions. For instance, you may start sweating because your brain thinks you're overheating and tries to cool the body down. Your heartbeat might increase because your body reacts like you are in danger. The natural pain killers in our body called endorphins are released because your brain thinks you're in pain. Endorphins also result in the feeling of euphoria, which is the reason why people enjoy eating spicy food.

Fun fact: you can feel this burning sensation in different places! It happens because of the different molecules that foods have. For instance, wasabi and mustard consist of molecules called isothiocyanates that are very light and end up in your sinuses. Chili peppers consist of heavier molecules called alkylamides that usually stay in your mouth. That is why wasabi and mustard cause the warming sensation in your nose and chili peppers cause the warming sensation in your mouth!

Some people think that if you eat spicy food all the time, your tolerance will generally increase. This is partially true because your TRPV1 receptors hide to protect themselves from potential damage. However, it happens over a short period of time, so if you stop eating it for a while, they will stop hiding, and your tolerance will be normal again. Even though capsaicin triggers some pain receptors, it does not really burn your tongue, so you can safely eat spicy food!

Picture Source: Verywell / Zorica Lakonic