Science Says NEVER Drink Water After Eating Spicy

If you ever take a bite of a fiery red pepper and need quick relief from the pain, the safe bet is usually milk, ice cream, or something to that extent. Reach for water and find out that it does absolutely nothing to help your cause.

At this point, you’re probably saying, “Duh,” but there’s actually a scientific reason why you should skip the H20.

According to a video by Reactions Everyday Chemistry, molecules in water just don’t mix well with the molecules in that regrettable spicy Indian food just had. When you think you’re reaching for relief, it’s really just spreading the pain even more.

What’s Inside Chili Peppers That Makes Us Hate Life For 10 Long Minutes?

There’s something in chili peppers called capsaicin and it’s essentially what makes your mouth feel like it’s burning.

As soon as a food containing capsaicin hits your tongue, something called a TRPV1 receptor binds with the spiciness of the capsaicin, sending a message to your brain that you just ate something stupid and it’s going to hurt.

What Water Does

Capsaicin has non-polar molecules in it, which can only dissolve with other non-polar molecules.

It just so happens that water is made up of polar molecules, which means it’s just making friends with the capsaicin and actually spreading the heat even more.

The video compares it to mixing water with oil.

Water is not the answer, unfortunately.

Milk’s Molecules Reduce The Heat

The molecules in milk are non-polar, just like the spicy capsaicin. Those non-polar molecules are the key as they dissolve the capsaicin.

It’s not just the non-polar molecules, though, the casein protein in milk helps dissolve the capsaicin, as well.

Just Stay Away From Water

Milk dissolves the painful molecules while water just spreads it out even more. You probably thought about it, now you know for sure.

Check out the Reactions video below:

h/t iflscience