Hot & Spicy Foods: Why Do They Make Us Sweat & Clear Our Sinuses?

[Pengwuino]

So I was wondering (after laughing at a hilarious Seinfeld episode as usual) something, why does spicy food make people sweat? Also, why do some foods seemingly set off a bomb in your sinuses and clear them out pretty dang well? I've had chicken that was about 100x more effective then any cold medicines I've ever had when it came to relieving a stuffed up nose and things like that.

 

[Tony11235]

I don't know why spicy foods do this, but I do have to agree with you on the effectiveness of spicy foods to clear your sinuses.

 

[andrewchang]

I don't know either, but would the episode happen to have been the one where George is eating the kung pao chicken? :-)

 

[Pengwuino]

I don't know either, but would the episode happen to have been the one where George is eating the kung pao chicken? :-)

Yes sir!

I wonder why the food feels hot too... i mean I've eaten some cold cold chicken before that "burnt" my mouth ten ways to sunday.

 

[quetzalcoatl9]

spicy (picante) things like tabasco have capsacin. capsacin is a type of molecule known as a phorbol ester, and will bind protein kinases such as PKC. maybe this plays a role in the physiology.

 

[Mk]

Maybe since you have a sense of painful heat in your mouth your brain thinks its time to sweat because of the pain and/or heat?

 

[hypatia]

yep Mk, that's right...we are tricked into sweating.