![]() Tibor Rohacs is a medical researcher at New Jersey Medical School in Newark. But new data show why the peppery chemicals can help deaden pain from other causes. Biting into one of these fresh jalapeños has the same effect on the brain as touching a hot stove. It may seem bizarre that what causes pain might also make pain go away. In fact, the chemical can be used as a medicine to help relieve pain. Pain fights painĬapsaicin does not actually damage the body in the same way that a hot stovetop will - at least not in small amounts. But most people can safely eat hot peppers. Those with pepper allergies or stomach conditions do need to stay away from chilies. People managed to outsmart the pepper when they realized that a chili’s pain doesn’t cause any lasting damage. Later, when birds poop, the intact seeds land in a new place. Mammals have teeth that smash seeds, destroying them. Why would peppers develop a way to keep mammals away but attract birds? It ensures the plants’ survival. People, mice and other mammals feel the burn when they eat peppers. Pepper plants likely evolved their fake-out technique to keep certain animals from eating up their fruit, according to Tewksbury’s research. (The group promotes research to protect Earth’s resources). “ trick our brain into thinking we are being burned,” says Tewksbury, who now leads the Boulder, Colo., office of Future Earth. Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)īiting into a jalapeño pepper has the same effect on the brain as touching a hot stove. This Sayaca Tanager is chowing down on malagueta peppers, which can be 40 times as hot as jalapeños. Hot peppers may as well be candy to birds. ![]() If a person accidentally places fingers on a hot stove, the pain makes him or her yank that hand back quickly. The result: a minor burn, not permanent skin damage. Normally, the body’s pain response helps prevent serious injury. The brain then responds by sending a jolt of pain back to the affected part of the body. Capsaicin inside the pepper activates a protein in people’s cells called TRPV1. That burning feeling comes from the body’s pain response system. The heat of a chili pepper is not actually a taste. They didn’t need those spices to keep their food safe. People who came from cold parts of the world tended to stick with blander recipes. This led to populations of hot-spice lovers. In time, these people would be more likely to raise healthy families. But people who ate the spicy food tended to get sick less often. ![]() The people who first added hot peppers to their recipes probably had no idea chilies could make their food safer they just liked the stuff. Examples include hot Indian curries and fiery Mexican tamales. (Garlic, onion and many other cooking spices can, too.)īefore refrigerators, people living in most hot parts of the world developed a taste for spicy foods. Their capsaicin and other chemicals, it turns out, can slow or stop microbial growth. But long ago, those appliances weren’t available. That’s why most people today rely on refrigerators to keep their food fresh. The cold temperature inside a refrigerator stops most microbes from growing. If people eat food with too many of these germs, they risk getting very sick. Skyler Lewis/Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0) A popular Mexican dish, chile rellenos are whole hot chili peppers stuffed with cheese and then fried. Hot peppers actually make food safer to eat. But there is another reason why chilies show up on dinner plates the world over. It can also make someone feel jittery or energized. These will make the skin redden and sweat. Why would anyone willingly eat something that causes pain? Capsaicin triggers a rush of stress hormones. ![]() In smaller doses, capsaicin can relieve pain, help with weight loss and possibly affect microbes in the gut to keep people healthier. The spray’s high levels of capsaicin will burn the eyes and throats of attackers - but won’t kill people. Some people use this weapon for self-defense. Called capsaicin (Kap-SAY-ih-sin), it’s the main ingredient in pepper spray. Scientists have discovered many uses for the chemical that gives these veggies their zing. He also happens to enjoy eating hot, spicy food.Ĭhili peppers do much more than burn people’s mouths. He is a biologist who spent 10 years studying wild chili peppers. “A quarter of the world’s population eats chilies every day,” notes Joshua Tewksbury. Some people dread and avoid the painful, eye-watering, mouth-searing sensation. Chomping into one of those innocent-looking chilies will make a person’s mouth explode with spicy fireworks. Shiny green slices of jalapeño pepper adorn a plate of nachos. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |