Like what happens over time that makes them more tolerant to spicy food?
And how far could you push this?
In: Biology
It’s like lifting things. The more you lift it, the more easier to lift. The more spicy food you eat, the less spicy it feels.
I’m something of a chili head. I started out just as sensitive to spice as everyone else, but after progressively seeking out hotter and hotter food, I now have a tolerance for stuff that would inflict a lot of pain on most people. That’s not a brag or anything, just my own experience. Bragging about having a tolerance for spice is like boasting about how you can drink a fifth of Everclear without throwing up. It’s not an accomplishment, just a lifestyle.
I can’t really tell you exactly how tolerance builds, but [Adam Ragusea has a video on this topic](https://youtu.be/vX8ri6fHfps) with bits of info from experts on the subject. Just a heads-up, he gets a little pissy about something that doesn’t really exist, just ignore all that stuff and skip to the expert opinions.
I think the human body just has a resiliency and ability to adapt. It’s like living your whole life in a cold climate and then moving down south where it’s really warm. At first you’re probably going to feel pretty miserable and not tolerate it well. But then you get used to it, your body adapts, and it’s not so uncomfortable. The human body always strives to achieve a state of physical and biological homeostasis. Meaning, harmony and balance. It’s likely the same with hot foods and peppers. Over time, pain receptors lessen because your body no longer needs the signals that blood pressure needs to increase and you have to sweat in order to accommodate the unfamiliar food.
It’s a matter of how used to it you are. In cultures where spicy food are the norm, many are exposed to spicy food from the days that they were born. So they’re used to it. I’ve witnessed Mexican and Korean parents feed their babies raw chili peppers and the babies had no reactions at all. If you eat spicy food your entire life then you become tolerant. Likewise, if you never eat spicy food, you won’t be able to tolerate it.
You just build up tolerance to it. The more you have of it the more tolerant you become and need more to get the spice sensation.
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