What happens to your body when you eat “chili”?

If someone asked you what your favorite spices are, do you know what to say? For many, hot sauce or chilli will likely be high on the list.

Aside from having to drink a glass of milk to calm this burning fire in your mouth after eating any food dipped in this substance, do you know what can happen to your body after eating chili?

Certified Dietitian Marianne Walish explains why and how three very common reactions occur after eating a hot join.

“When we consume the hot sauce, a few things happen in the body,” Wallish says:

1 .”Your tongue is burning.”

Wallish says this sensation is due to capsaicin, an active ingredient in chili peppers. “When we eat hot sauce, capsaicin strikes the neurotransmitters in the tongue and sends pain signals to the brain,” she says. She points out that “the burning feeling we feel while eating spices is just the perception that our tongue is burning when, in fact, our taste buds are intact.”

2. High body temperature and heart rate

After eating a hot bond, Walsh says, your core body temperature actually rises in a process called thermogenesis and contributes to a temporary increase in your metabolism rate.

3. Sweating and breathing quickly

“If the hot sauce is hot enough you may start to sweat or breathe quickly,” Walsh says.

“These are only two ways in which the body cools on its own. There may be an increase in saliva and mucus secretion as well,” she adds.

The positive effects of eating hot sauce

A meta-analysis of 90 studies suggests that capsaicin, the natural ingredient in chili peppers, might help people burn an extra 50 calories a day.

Walsh says:

“It has also been observed that regular consumption significantly reduces abdominal adipose tissue, suppresses appetite, and reduces overall energy consumption.”

“Although hot sauce is not considered a panacea, hot sauce can be used in the diet and increase energy consumption,” she adds.