As we all know, when a fire gets out of hand, you pour water on it; when the room temperature is too high, you can place a basin of ice in the room. So, when your body temperature rises, you should have some cold water, cool melons, or ice cream!
No! This summer, numerous top American scientists explain to you: the human body is not like firewood, nor is it a room of air. Localized cooling or brief stimulation from ice cannot bring a lasting cooling effect to the body; on the contrary, it triggers a coordinated response from multiple systems, causing body temperature to rise. If you want to cool down through diet, eating chili is better than eating ice cream!
American scientists admit that any food below body temperature will have a certain effect of lowering the body temperature after entering the body.
But don't be too eager to eat ice cream, because what happens afterward may not be what you hope for. Joseph Cannon, a professor of family medicine at the Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York State, says: "15 to 20 minutes after enjoying ice cream, digestion begins, and your body needs to use a lot of energy to digest the ice cream, absorb nutrients, and store energy. These complex metabolic processes will cause your body temperature to start rising."
Barry Swanson, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Washington State University, adds: "Moreover, once a certain part of the body suddenly cools down, it will trigger a series of physiological reactions. The body will accelerate blood circulation to send heat to the cooled area, bringing that part back to its normal temperature."
So, the reason for choosing ice cream is to satisfy your craving; don't expect it to cool you down anymore!
So, what is the relationship between reduced water and body temperature? Laura Shanton, a professor of nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, believes that body temperature is regulated by the body's water status. The amount of water in your muscles, blood vessels, and cells affects your body temperature.
Shanton says: "Water in the body will fill the small blood vessels near the skin. As blood flows through the superficial layers of the skin, it can dissipate some heat into the environment, lowering the body temperature. Moreover, adequate water will form abundant sweat on the skin surface. When sweat evaporates, the body's temperature will drop. Therefore, if you don't replenish enough water, or if you are in a state of dehydration, your body will have a very difficult time dissipating heat through blood vessels or cooling down through sweat."
It may sound illogical, but spicy foods make your mouth and tongue feel like they are on fire, how could they possibly cool you down! However, spicy foods are more popular in equatorial regions than elsewhere.
And you know, the equatorial region is quite hot!
The main substance in chili peppers that causes spiciness is capsaicin, which is a substance that stimulates the human body's pain nerves. When capsaicin acts on the nerve endings of the human body, producing a pain sensation, the body will respond with an increased heart rate and accelerated blood circulation. At this time, body temperature rises, and you might even break out in a sweat. Therefore, spiciness is actually not a taste, but a pain sensation.
However, this is only the first reaction after eating chili. Luke Laborde, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, says: "When you eat spicy food, you will blush and even feel blood rushing to your skin. But don't worry, this pain stimulus won't last that long, and the body's stress response caused by the pain will also be quickly resolved. Then, your blush will slowly fade, your heart rate will gradually calm down, and the spicy stimulus will only leave a layer of crystal sweat beads on your face. When a breeze blows, the sweat beads evaporate, carrying away excess body heat, and the surprising cool feeling will surely arrive as expected."
In summary, when choosing cooling foods, relying on assumptions is not reliable; the intricacies are worth studying carefully. This summer, when choosing cooling foods, you should be more rational!