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capsaicin Capsaicin and Aspartame

theghostpepperstore

theghostpepperstore

I was having a conversation with a friend earlier this week and he said that when he drinks a diet soda before eating hot peppers he doesn't have nearly as strong of a response as he normally would. Over the last couple of days, we tested some scenarios and discovered that:
 
aspartame --> capsaicin = reduced heat
capsaicin --> aspartame = no difference in heat
 
At first I was thinking along the lines of the fact that sugar is known to reduce the capsaicin response. Then I started thinking about how I respond to aspartame. I hate the stuff, it has always tasted like metal, like I just chewed on aluminum foil. Then I started thinking about how I have heard other chiliheads mention that they don't like aspartame either.
 
After a bit of research, I ran across these two gems:
 
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/293/2/R626.long
 
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/23269346_The_capsaicin_receptor_participates_in_artificial_sweetener_aversion
 
It turns out that mice, who have had their capsaicin response turned off have no interest in aspartame, but they do respond to acesulfame-K, and cyclamate. There are some strong correlations between artificial sweeteners and capsaicin in our neuro-pathways. Neat stuff!
 
Now I am thinking, I like hot stuff and it is obvious that I do not have the same level of capsaicin response as most people, and this might be explain why I cannot eat/drink anything with aspartame in it. I am not sure what it says about my friend, he likes hot stuff but can't handle anything crazy, and he doesn't have an aversion to sweeteners.
 
Anyone have any thoughts?
 
I like hot stuff and diet soda. Actually I don't usually eat hot stuff without soda. Like I dont use hot sauce without soda. I use a taco sauce or mild salsa if I have water.
 
Nightshade said:
I like hot stuff and diet soda. Actually I don't usually eat hot stuff without soda. Like I dont use hot sauce without soda. I use a taco sauce or mild salsa if I have water.
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Do you feel like things are hotter when you don't drink diet soda with it? That would actually make sense according to these pieces of research.
 
Seems to depend on the day. Need to find a cure for stomach cramps besides peanut butter milkshakes.  
 
I hate peanut butter too.
 
maybe you should try mixing peppers with a diet soda and compare it with just regular soda and water, instead of trying before and after consumption , that way you can find out if aspartame can actually replace capsaicin and to what degree.
 
ZenPepper said:
maybe you should try mixing peppers with a diet soda and compare it with just regular soda and water, instead of trying before and after consumption , that way you can find out if aspartame can actually replace capsaicin and to what degree.
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From a science perspective I agree...
 
However, I actually WANT to watch someone empty a couple packets of Equal into their mouth, then pop a superhot... it just sounds more fun!
 
I would be willing to try it and I don't think they are hotter I just find it more enjoyable from a flavor stand point
I'm a pretty reasonable test subject as I haven't eaten many super hots and my tolerance isn't ridiculously high
 
This is really interesting.  It seems a bit backwards to me, though; it seems that sensitivity to the "ick" flavor of aspartame should be positively correlated with sensitivity to capsaicin, and wouldn't you expect that chileheads were *less* sensitive to capsaicin than others?  (I mean, obviously we do detect it in order to like it, but surely we can't be experiencing the same level of sensitivity as someone who just receives capsaicin as OH GHOD PAIN PAIN PAIN.  Or is that wrong, and people who like capsaicin are actually more sensitive to it than others and produce correspondingly more endorphins, or something?)
 
Personally, I think aspartame tastes like a great disturbance in the Force.  I'm middle-of-the-road on capsaicin, by chilehead standards---I like a good culinary burn, but it'll be a cold day in Moruga before you catch me eating whole superhots on YouTube.  But of course liking and sensitivity aren't exactly the same thing.
 
-NT
 
I can not stand aspartame.  You realize it breaks down into formaldahied in your system?  It was an industrial chemical that some guy tasted and thought  would make a good sweetener. Blech.
 
Okay, most of that was internet hoax, but it's still nasty.
 
Okay, off my soapbox now.
 
I like spicy food, and I have a higher tolerance for spicy things than a lot of my friends, but not nearly what testers here have for superhots.  Even Habs are hard for me to take.  And did I mention I hate apartame?
 
Have a look at this. 
 
http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/1/53.full.pdf

And this is a presentation made at a conference in 2003.
 
 


Interaction of sweeteners and capsaicin


A. L. HEFFELFINGER and J. F. Delwiche. Sensory Science Group, Ohio State Univ., Dept. of Food Science & Technology, 2015 Fyffe Ct., 110 Parker Food Science Bldg., Columbus, OH 43210-1007
Justification: Not only are spicy foods growing in popularity, they are also good for you. Eating spicy foods reduces food consumption, especially of fat and protein. In addition, capsaicinoids have antioxidant properties similar to those of flavanoids. Understanding factors that impact heat perception will assist in the creation of acceptable foods containing capsaicinoid, thus providing valuable health components to consumers.
Objectives: The intensity of spicy food is thought to be reduced when consumed in conjunction with sugar-containing beverages. Such suppression may reflect interactions at the periphery with taste receptors, or arise more centrally from pain reduction/reward systems of the brain. This research examines the nature of sweetener and capsaicin interaction (whether it occurs at the periphery or centrally), as well as examine if sucrose interactions differ from that of an aspartame/acesulfame K blend.
Methods: Subjects first established equi-intensity of solutions by rating both sweetener stimuli. Subsequently, judges indicated overall intensity on the labeled magnitude scale of solutions containing capsaicin, capsaicin with a sweetener, and capsaicin with a sweetener and lactisol (a sweet-blocker).
Results: No significant difference between intensity ratings of sweeteners (p>0.05), indicating the sweeteners were equi-intense. Sucrose significantly decreased burn intensity (p<0.05) whereas artificial sweeteners did not (p>0.05). The sucrose/lactisol combination still significantly reduced burn intensity (p<0.05), while the aspartame/acesulfame K/lactisol blend did not (p>0.05).
Significance: The results of this study indicate sucrose and artificial sweeteners do not impact the perception of burn in the same manner. Because solutions containing the artificial blend failed to suppress burn intensity while equi-intense sucrose succeeded, it is unlikely that a central mechanism is responsible for suppression.
 
Session 90, Sensory Evaluation: Flavor and texture 
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Tuesday PM
2003 IFT Annual Meeting - Chicago,
 
PepperDaddler said:
I hate aspartame.
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Heretic!!!!
 
Do you have any idea how terrible diet Coke would taste without aspartame? aspartame is good and if it helps the buring, that is just another reason to keep diet coke on hand. :D
 
Nigel said:
Have a look at this. 
 
http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/1/53.full.pdf

And this is a presentation made at a conference in 2003.
 
 
Interaction of sweeteners and capsaicin
A. L. HEFFELFINGER and J. F. Delwiche. Sensory Science Group, Ohio State Univ., Dept. of Food Science & Technology, 2015 Fyffe Ct., 110 Parker Food Science Bldg., Columbus, OH 43210-1007
Justification: Not only are spicy foods growing in popularity, they are also good for you. Eating spicy foods reduces food consumption, especially of fat and protein. In addition, capsaicinoids have antioxidant properties similar to those of flavanoids. Understanding factors that impact heat perception will assist in the creation of acceptable foods containing capsaicinoid, thus providing valuable health components to consumers.
Objectives: The intensity of spicy food is thought to be reduced when consumed in conjunction with sugar-containing beverages. Such suppression may reflect interactions at the periphery with taste receptors, or arise more centrally from pain reduction/reward systems of the brain. This research examines the nature of sweetener and capsaicin interaction (whether it occurs at the periphery or centrally), as well as examine if sucrose interactions differ from that of an aspartame/acesulfame K blend.
Methods: Subjects first established equi-intensity of solutions by rating both sweetener stimuli. Subsequently, judges indicated overall intensity on the labeled magnitude scale of solutions containing capsaicin, capsaicin with a sweetener, and capsaicin with a sweetener and lactisol (a sweet-blocker).
Results: No significant difference between intensity ratings of sweeteners (p>0.05), indicating the sweeteners were equi-intense. Sucrose significantly decreased burn intensity (p<0.05) whereas artificial sweeteners did not (p>0.05). The sucrose/lactisol combination still significantly reduced burn intensity (p<0.05), while the aspartame/acesulfame K/lactisol blend did not (p>0.05).
Significance: The results of this study indicate sucrose and artificial sweeteners do not impact the perception of burn in the same manner. Because solutions containing the artificial blend failed to suppress burn intensity while equi-intense sucrose succeeded, it is unlikely that a central mechanism is responsible for suppression.
 
Session 90, Sensory Evaluation: Flavor and texture 
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Tuesday PM
2003 IFT Annual Meeting - Chicago,
Click to expand...
Both very good papers Nigel. The second one definitely fits the original situation proposed by my friend. He found no relief from burning when he drank diet soda after eating hot food, the findings there seem to back that up. Sucrose has been known to suppress the heat for a long time, thanks to Wilbur Scoville.
 
My theory is that aspartame is an antagonist on the TRPV1 pathway that can act as a preventative suppressant to the capsaicin response by binding to the receptors and disrupting the normal levels of transmission.
 
Now, who has the money to put up for clinical trials? ;)
 
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