PHOENIX - As record heat barrels down on the Valley of the Sun, some might be wondering if there's anything they can do to cool down. Turns out there are various studies supporting an unorthodox way to bring down your core temperature: Eat spicy food.
Some swear by the counterintuitive theory when the mercury rises in Phoenix.
We found Dixie Cooper eating a spicy meal at Arriba Mexican Grill on a record-breaking day of 116 degrees.
"I've been doing it for a while, and I know it works," Cooper says
We took the "theory" to Christine Lovato at Banner University Medical Center. Dr. Lovato says there are studies on this dating back to the 1970s.
"When you eat something it stimulates the receptors which talk directly to our brain, and tells our brain—the center of cooling and heating in the body—to bring the temperature down."
In other words, eating spicy foods essentially tricks the brain to cool down the body.
There's also a less scientific way eating hot food can cool us down in the summer. Many times, people will sweat from eating really spicy foods, and that sweat is the body's best cooling mechanism.
"In a lot of areas where it's difficult to sweat such as Arizona, eating hot chile will get you there," Dr. Lovato said.
We put the theory to the test by eating a bowl of Hatch chiles at Arriba Mexican Grill. These peppers are said to be about five times hotter than jalapenos, and definitely pack enough punch for the purposes of this experiment.
After eating the entire bowl, my mouth was burning, but the sweat from my forehead did create a cooling sensation on the face. The theory does hold up, but we only suggest doing it if spicy food is your thing.