Earlier this year, rumors of spicy chili sauce shortages led cautions to stock up on supplies or postpone adding this spice to cuisines due to extreme drought in agricultural regions. Humans are born with an aversion to stimuli, such as the taste of chili on our tongues, given that the main element in chili pepper is capsaicin.
It is a chemical that generates an unpleasant and even burning feeling when it comes into touch with sensitive regions of our skin, eyes, and mouth. However, at tiny manageable doses, we may adapt to and enjoy the feelings elicited by chili. It can even operate as a natural opiate to produce endorphins in the same way that a "runner's high" does. So, how does it help regain the sense of taste after COVID-19?
Why People Love Capsaicin in Chili Peppers
A family of receptors in sensory neurons that line the epithelium layers of the skin, nose, and stomach detect capsaicin by binding and transmitting messages to the brain. According to an article in the Conversation, these receptors are temperature sensitive and, in addition to being triggered by capsaicin, respond to heat.
Biting into a chili pepper releases capsaicin onto the tongue producing a feeling ranging from moderate tingling to scorching heat, depending on how much we have acclimated to it. What distinguishes capsaicin from other flavors is that it lasts long after being swallowed because capsaicin is fat-soluble that cannot be easily washed away from the touch receptors in the tongue by water.
Capsaicin causes a burning sensation in our mouths, which is heightened when the meal is hot. The facial skin flushes and sweating begin because the brain interprets this as both pain and excessive heat. All that burning sensation increases saliva production which enhances the ability to chew food and spread the other flavors of the food around the tongue, improving the perception of flavors.
The endorphins produced in the reaction from the burning sensation are comparable to being hooked to running which develops a tolerance and desire for flavor and its effects, as per the article.
How Chili May Help Regain the Sense of Taste
One side-effect of having COVID-19 infection is the loss of sense of taste (ageusia) and smell (anosmia). Researchers have looked into the mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 variants affect olfactory neurons and supporting cells in order to find treatments.
Some of these treatments include training using essential oils that may help people whose sense of smell remains impaired for over a month post-COVID and eating chili pepper as a taste enhancer.
Food Navigator cited a study by a meals company of 2,000 diners with COVID-19 and found that 43% of them were increasing the amount of chili and other spices in their food to amplify the flavors of their meals. Danish experts noted that eating food with capsaicin might be useful in providing sensory stimulation to diners when their senses are not as how they used to be.
RELATED ARTICLE: Some Answers to the Mysteries Behind Smell Loss During COVID-19 Revealed
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