Less coffee, less sweat: It’s not just the heat that makes us sweat

Many foods contain naturally pungent substances. These bind to nerve receptors in our mouth that normally tell us when there is an injury or burn. The capsaicin substance in red peppers, cayenne peppers and hot peppers is responsible for this. Mustard oils are found in mustard, wasabi and horseradish. “If we consume too much, information is sent to the brain that the body needs to be cooled,” says Wolfensperger. This stimulates blood circulation and dilates blood vessels. “This causes the body temperature to increase. You start sweating to cool down.

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and stimulates blood circulation. This causes blood pressure and heart rate to increase for a short time. “The effect is similar to that of spicy foods,” says Wolfensperger. «The increased performance of our circulation causes the temperature to rise. “Sweat helps cool us down again.” This also means that the less caffeine we consume, the less we sweat.

In countries where the weather is often very hot and persists for long periods of time, people drink a lot of hot tea – for example in India or Turkey. “Hot drinks stimulate our sweat production and help our body cool down,” says Wolfensperger. Cold drinks signal to the body that it needs to warm up. “On hot days, it makes sense to drink hot drinks.”