There’s a new scientific trick to eat spicy food without the pain

Loving spicy food and not being able to handle the spice is going to be a thing of the past thanks to a few new tricks. This time, the big trick is not only a recommendation heard from friends and family, but it’s backed by science. For most spice lovers, this simply means there is no need to suffer the burning wrath of a truly spicy taco.

How does hot spice work?

The heat in spicy food comes from a compound called capsaicin. This compound is basically a beacon of an attack: Your body thinks it’s under fire once it comes into contact with it, and starts producing counter measures like sweat, hiccups, occasionally tears, and an intense need to cool down the taste buds. The most common weapon is a dairy product, preferably milk!

The simple science of reducing the effects of spicy hot food

How to not get burned by spicy hot food? The simple science is to just lower the temperature of the dish. The lower the temperature of your spicy food, the less the reaction your body will have to capsaicin. This was tested between two groups of people with the same spicy dish, and the lower temperature group responded less intensely than the group who consumed the high temperature dish. 

The takeaway might be that if one is sensitive to spice, it might be in their best interest to let the dishes get to room temperature, or a bit less if it’s doable!

If it wasn’t possible to reduce the heat of the dish, the next steps are to fight the heat as it comes. The best ways to get rid of that stinging fire in the taste buds go through dairy; milk, yogurt, sour cream etc. Sugar is also a great way to battle the heat, as it will at the very least distract the taste buds from the painfully hot spice.