Mouth On Fire After Eating Spicy Food? This Is Why Drinking Milk Helps Cool The Heat

As Malaysians, we love our spicy food, and for good reason!

According to science magazine Helix, spicy food triggers our body to release endorphins—the same feel good hormones we get after a good workout. That explains why we can never get enough of our sambal and cili padi.

And if we're lucky, there'll be a carton of milk right there for the taking. But have you wondered, why do we always drink milk when we cannot tahan the spiciness?

When we eat spicy food, the kick usually comes from capsaicin, an active component in chilli peppers. It bonds to our nerve receptors and causes a burning sensation on any part of our body it comes into contact with, which is why you should never touch your eyes after handling spicy food.

Here's a fun fact: The spiciest part of a chilli is the white pith that surrounds the seeds. That's where the concentration of capsaicin is the highest. The seeds themselves don't actually contain any heat.

Milk, on the other hand, contains a protein called casein that helps to break the capsaicin away from our nerve receptors. It's works like how soap washes away grease. Other dairy products like yoghurt and ice-cream also contain casein, and will have pretty much the same soothing effect as milk.

Drinking water may seem like the common sense thing to do. But instead of breaking up capsaicin and washing away the heat, water helps to further spread capsaicin, causing more pain!

Since ice is made of water, ice cubes won't cure your burning mouth either. While the ice may help numb your tongue for a moment, you'll feel the spiciness kick right back in after the cooling effect wears off.

While the coolness and sweetness of fizzy drinks will give you a temporary relief, most of these drinks have water as their main ingredient. This means just like water, your mouth will start burning once you stop drinking.

It’s a myth to believe only plain milk can ease your spiciness! If you grew up drinking Dutch Lady, you'll remember the joy of sipping on their tasty flavoured milk drinks. The good news is that whether you prefer chocolate, strawberry, or any other flavour, as long as it's milk it contains casein, which can help cool your tongue off!

Plus, Dutch Lady now has a variety of flavoured milk, including coffee! This means you can enjoy any of your favourite milk drinks whenever the spicy kick arrives.

Find out more about all of Dutch Lady's products on their website today!