Random question... spicy food...

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Wizard .3
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Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2000 8:00 am

Random question... spicy food...

Post by Wizard .3 »

Wondering if anyone here might know the answer.
Basically, your body sweats to cool itself off. Why the would you sweat if you eat spicy food? Consider that the food itself is not hot (temperature wise)... Some reaction maybe?
Wizard .3
Posts: 529
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2000 8:00 am

Post by Wizard .3 »

On the subject of sweating after eating spicy food, what we're talking about is called gustatory sweating. It's usually confined to the face and is triggered by tasting (or sometimes merely seeing or smelling) spicy food. Many people experience mild sweating on the upper lip or nose; a few with a pathological response known as gustatory hyperhidrosis perspire profusely on one or both sides of the face. Gustatory sweating is thought to be a side effect of the reflex that makes you salivate. The nerves connected to the salivary glands produce copious amounts of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which can also activate sweat glands served by the same nerves. Gustatory hyperhidrosis can arise from a variety of causes, including damage to or surgery on the parotid salivary gland or the nerves supplying it (supposedly the healing process winds up attaching salivary nerve endings to the sweat glands). A range of treatments is available in such cases, including injections of botulinum toxin. For ordinary gustatory sweating, just shun the jalapeños and stick to macaroni and cheese.
Interesting.
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Scourge
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Post by Scourge »

I don't sweat when I eat spicy foods but a lot of my friends do. I had always wondered why.
Canidae
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Post by Canidae »

Another masterbatorical question
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