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I’m not a huge fan of spicy foods.
But there are lot of crazy people out there that actually enjoy eating this stuff despite
the sweating, nose running, and well, digestive issues.
There are even some people who have eaten the world’s spiciest pepper.
You don’t even want to know what it did to their bodies.
Oh, you do?
That's why you clicked on the video.
Right.
Okay.
Let's talk about that then!
The human body is covered in receptors that respond to pain and heat.
But the active chemical in spicy foods, capsaicin, can fool these receptors into triggering.
This is why your mouth, or any other part of your body that comes in contact with the
chemical, can feel as though it's burning.
Different peppers have different concentrations of capsaicin and can be ranked by their heat
units on what is called the Scoville scale.
The current Guinness World Record holder for the hottest pepper is the Carolina Reaper,
which averages over 1.6 million Scoville Heat Units, with the hottest one peaking at 2.2
million., Some believe that there is an even hotter pepper out there named Dragon’s Breath
reaching nearly 2.5 million Scoville Heat Units, but it has yet to be confirmed by the
proper authorities.
Of course, when a record setting pepper is announced, people are going to attempt to
eat it.
What is with you humans?
I don't understand.
You know this stuff just goes right through you, right?
When you eat something spicy, the pain receptors in your mouth initiate your body’s heat
response.
To try to cool itself down, you begin to sweat.
And in an attempt to remove the source of your pain, your eyes water and nose runs.,,,
More pain receptors are triggered as the spicy food makes its way down your throat and your
esophagus is eager to get rid of it.
In fact, a 1999 study found that hot sauce significantly increased gastrointestinal motility,
improving clearance and protection of the esophagus.
Here’s where things take a surprising turn.
Once in your stomach, capsaicin can actually help with digestion.
Research has shown that it inhibits acid production while stimulating protective mucous secretions,
YUM!
But sometimes capsaicin helps too much.
As your digestive tract speeds up to get rid of the pain causing chemical, your body absorbs
less water than usual, leading to diarrhea., There have even been some people who experience
severe abdominal pain and cramping.
One man who ate a Carolina Reaper experienced brief but excruciating headaches for two days
before going to the hospital.
There, doctors found that his brain’s arteries were severely constricted.
While this was a temporary condition, it kind of makes you wonder if there is an amount
of hot peppers that would actually kill you.
A study on mice published in 1980 found that a lethal dose of capsaicin is about 100 milligrams
per one kilogram of body weight.
For a person weighing 60 kilograms or 130 pounds, this translates to 6 grams of capsaicin.
But while the world’s spiciest peppers contain a very high concentration, you would need
to eat a lot of them for it to reach lethal levels.
For instance, there's estimates that a lethal dose of Dragon’s Breath is around 25 to
30 peppers.
I don't know about you, but i think i'm just gonna stick to pizza bagels, because they
don't ruin me.
So, do you like spicy foods?
Have you ever tried a really hot pepper?
Let me know in the comment section below, or tell us, what should we talk about next?
Enjoyed this video?
Well then you're definitely gonna wanna check out the one we did on how too much stress
could kill you.
When you are constantly stressed your body is continuously executing the fight or flight
response that unleashes the wave of hormones, and chemicals throughout your body.
As always, my name is Blocko, this has been life noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking!