The Tiktok trend that prompted the Danish ban often goes under the heading “Spicy noodle challenge”. In the clips, users can be seen gulping down the noodles while tears flow.
– Now the whole mouth is on fire, says presenter Pelle Nilsson after having tested it himself in SVT’s Morgonstudion.
Same substance as pepper spray
So what is it that makes the noodles so strong? According to Janina Seubert, researcher in nutritional neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet, it is about capsaicin, a common substance that is also found in, among other things, chili peppers.
– It interacts with a receptor found in the mouth and nose. It is actually a receptor that reacts to heat, so capsaicin tricks the body into feeling that there is heat without it actually being, she says in Morgonstudion.
However, capsaicin does not necessarily have to be dangerous or cause discomfort. It all depends on the quantity, explains Seubert.
– It can sometimes cause a local irritation in the mouth and mucous membranes, but there is a limit. It is the same substance that is used in pepper spray, and then it has very big consequences.
Urges caution
As for the strong noodles, which contain a relatively high amount of capsaicin, Seubert urges some caution. The tolerance for the substance can differ greatly from person to person, and in case of excessive intake there is a risk of systematic effects on the heart and blood pressure, among other things.
– One thing that is important to say is that it is young people who eat this. How much you can tolerate depends a lot on your body weight, so you have to be a little more careful when it’s younger people who eat a lot of it, says Janina Seubert.