Have you ever gone overboard with the red pepper flake shaker on your pizza? Or perhaps you felt bold enough to order extra spicy instead of medium on your favorite take-away red curry. Whatever the situation is, when we come into contact with food that is too spicy, the need for a refreshment becomes priority numero uno. But before your reach for the tall glass of water filled with ice cubes screaming your name, consider a glass of milk first. That's correct. The drink that is most associated with being cereal's best friend and a creamy addition to your coffee should be the drink of choice if the sweat is starting to pour down your temples and your mouth is on fire. Why? Let's break down the key players in this situation. According to Psychology Today, chili pepper — the guilty culprit of the unbearable heat in your mouth — contains an active component called capsaicin. And milk contains a protein called casein. Capsaicin and casein go together like a mop to a muddy floor. Or like shampoo to day four of unwashed hair. What we're trying to say is that casein works as a detergent to rid your mouth of the burning sensation caused by the active compound capsaicin.
It is important to note, however, that in order to neutralize the fire in your mouth, the milk must come from a mammal (via Psychology Today). Other variants — such as almond milk or soy milk — do not contain the soothing protein casein. That said, what kind of milk works the best? MSN notes that researchers conducting a study on the effects of drinking milk after eating spicy food found that both skim milk and whole milk did the trick. In contrast, water actually had the opposite effect. The researchers noted that if you drink water after eating spicy chilies, the water can actually spread the capsaicin to other areas of your mouth and intensify the pain. So next time you chow down on some jalapeno poppers or douse your meal in hot sauce, consider keeping a glass of milk nearby. It may just be the smartest thing you do for yourself that day.
By Connor Boyd For Mailonline 12:08 26 Jun 2019, updated 12:12 26 Jun 2019
- Skimmed and whole milk best at soothing burning sensation after spicy food
- Sugary drinks also effective as they overwhelm the heat with sensation of sweet
- But fizzy drinks and sparkling water were poor at soothing the burning pain
It's long been said drinking milk after eating spicy food will help numb the burning sensation in your mouth - and now scientists have confirmed the theory.
Researchers discovered both skimmed and whole milk were the best at soothing the unpleasant sensation in the mouth.
They say casein, the protein in milk, dulls the pain by overpowering capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their kick.
And if there's no milk around, sugary drinks such as Kool-Aid can also overwhelm capsaicin with a sensation of sweet, according to the experts.
But you should never reach for beer - or any alcoholic drink - because ethanol amplifies the heat, they said.
The study also found that fizzy drinks and sparkling water were poor at soothing the pain.
Penn State University, Pennsylvania, researchers tested seven drinks in the study involving 72 people.
Participants consumed a spicy Bloody Mary cocktail which contained capsaicin.
They then drank water, cola, cherry-flavored Kool-Aid, carbonated water, non-alcoholic beer, skimmed milk or whole milk.
It's normally recommended that eaters of spicy food drink milk to put out the 'flames' in their mouth - and this is down to molecules in the drink.
Capsaicin - found in chili pepper - has an end with a long hydrocarbon tail, meaning it is considered a non-polar molecule and dissolves in other non-polar substances.
If a suffering diner drinks water – a polar substance – it is like mixing water and oil, so the water will spread the capsaicin around the mouth, intensifying the pain.
However, if they choose milk instead, the dairy product, containing non-polar molecules, will dissolve the capsaicin and wash it out of the mouth, giving them relief.
Participants continued to rate how they perceived the burn to be every 10 seconds for two minutes.
All drinks significantly reduced the burn, but the largest reductions in burn were observed for whole milk, skim milk and Kool-Aid.
Following the trials, the participants answered two questions: 'How often do you consume spicy food?' and 'Do you like spicy food?'
Researchers had hoped to see a link between participants' perception of the burn and their exposure to spicy food.
But no such relationship emerged from the findings, which were published in the journal Physiology and Behavior.
Lead researcher Alissa Nolden said: 'We weren't surprised that our data suggest milk is the best choice to mitigate burn.
'But we didn't expect skim milk to be as effective at reducing the burn as whole milk.
'That appears to mean that the fat context of the beverage is not the critical factor and suggests the presence of protein may be more relevant than lipid content.'
'Beverages with carbonation such as beer, soda and seltzer water predictably performed poorly at reducing the burn of capsaicin,' she added.
'And if the beer tested would have contained alcohol, it would have been even worse because ethanol amplifies the sensation.'
Scientists say chili peppers may have more use than just adding some fire to a curry - and could even tackle cancer.
Tests have suggested capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their kick, may the disease from spreading.
Researchers at Marshall University, West Virginia, examined the effects of capsaicin on three types of cancer cell in the laboratory.
The team of scientists discovered the compound stopped the first step of cancer spreading, known as metastasis.
And tests on mice battling metastatic cancer found those who consumed capsaicin had smaller areas of aggressive cancer cells in their lung.
Further trials showed capsaicin suppressed lung cancer metastasis by blocking a protein that plays a role in cell growth, called Src.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Investigative Pathology in Orlando, Florida.
It is not the first time researchers have found capsaicin – a form of vanilloid – has cancer-fighting properties.
Scientists say it triggers a cell receptor called TRPV1 which controls which substances the cancerous growth can feed on.
As it fights to battle this, the growth eventually self-destructs. As more and more cancer cells die, the tumour is stopped from growing larger.
Other experiments have found the family of compounds capsaicin belongs to can kill cancer cells by attacking their powerhouse, the mitochondria.
But experts have repeatedly warned that it is unlikely just eating lots of spice alone could help to combat any form of cancer.
You can find me with a plate of hot wings, and a glass of milk.
Source: falovelykids (Pixabay)
I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to eating spicy foods. But if I must indulge in some peppery Chinese food or a plate of hot wings, you'll surely see a glass of milk close to my reach.
Chili peppers contain an active component called capsaicin, which is part of the vanillioid family (the same family that includes the vanilla bean). Capsaicin binds to a receptor called the vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (TRPV1).
While TRPV1 receptors are found in several different organs throughout the body, activation of the TRPV1 receptor on the tongue produces the sensation of heat or abrasion, causing that characteristic burning sensation. Eating a chili pepper does not actually cause a chemical burn — but it certainly feels like it.
So why does milk soothe the savage serrano?
The chemical structure of capsaicin (below) reveals a long hydrocarbon tail, shown in black (carbon) and white (hydrogen):
Chemical structure of capsaicin.
Source: Jacopo Werther/Favourites/Chemistry (Wikimedia Commons)
That hydrocarbon tail means that oily or soapy compounds can act as a detergent to dissolve capsaicin, but water cannot. It's similar to how you can't clean grease off of a cooking pan simply with water, but dish soap will get the job done.
Source: Unsplash (Pixabay)
Milk from mammals contains a protein called casein (the same protein that creates curds in sour milk). Casein is a lipophilic (literally, "fat-loving") protein, which means that it acts as a detergent on capsaicin, thanks to that fatty hydrocarbon tail.
Alcohol also dissolves capsaicin well (wings and beer, anyone?), although its concentration in most alcoholic beverages is often too low to have much of an effect. (On the other hand, casein represents roughly 80 percent of the protein in cow's milk.)
But remember: It must be mammal's milk! Plant-based milks — such as soy, rice, coconut, or almond — do not contain casein.
Fun fact: Interestingly, in birds, the TRPV1 receptor does not respond to capsaicin, which means that the seeds of chili pepper plants can be dispersed widely. Biologists believe that some species of peppers, such as ghost peppers, have evolved to contain such high levels of capsaicin in order to deter animals from eating them — unless they are also able to help disperse the seeds!