Mint leaves your mouth cold. There is an explanation for this

You’ve just brushed your teeth, you feel minty and ready to go to bed. You take a sip of water, but the water is cold and your next breath is cool and invigorating.

What did the toothpaste do to your mouth? And could this be a trick to help you feel cooler when you really need it?

O bulba natural compound from mint plants, is the ingredient in toothpaste that creates a cold sensation.

According to , menthol activates TRPM8 receptors on the nerve endings in the mouth, which are the same receptors responsible for the sensation of cold. Like this, menthol essentially tricks your brainmaking you feel cold, in the same way that pepper tricks your brain into feeling hot.

Do it binding to TRPM8 receptors and changing its shape, allowing calcium to enter and trigger a signal to the brain, which is interpreted as a feeling of cold.

When you drink water or breathe air with menthol in your mouth, the menthol spreads throughout your mouth and more receptors are activated, increasing its effect.

The receptors are now open and primed to feel cold, so any liquid or air that is a little cold will feel even colder than it actually is.

Companies use this action of menthol to create another dimension to flavor and the feel of your products.

Menthol is added to toothpaste and chewing gum to create a refreshing sensation that conveys “cleanliness”and cough drops to create the sensation of clear airways.

Menthol does not physically cause decongestion – it only increases sensitivity and the feeling of freshness in the airways, which makes it feel like more air is passing through.

Menthol also can refresh the skin through the same receptors. This is why menthol is commonly added to topical creams designed for the pain relief.

The cooling sensation of menthol can also act as a “counterirritant”, where menthol activates pain receptors in the skin, causing irritation, and then desensitizes them, which can reduce underlying pain.

The cooling effect of menthol can even be beneficial for exercise and sport.

In a study in Human Kinetics Journals, Christopher StevensAssociate Professor, Sport and Exercise Science, at Southern Cross University, and colleagues found that a menthol mouthwash reduced runners’ feelings of heat and allowed them to run faster in a three-mile race in 33°C.

Interestingly, menthol mouthwash was more effective than drinking a slushiewhich physically reduced body temperature but didn’t make runners feel cooler or run faster.

Thus, the sensation of heat may be more important than actual temperature – at least for running performance.

The Australian Institute of Sport classified the Menthol as a group B sports supplementmeaning it has “emerging and/or mixed scientific support, meriting consideration in specific populations or situations.”

Research has now focused on the addition of menthol to energy gels.

Researchers tested energy gels with different concentrations of menthol to determine the ideal amount to maximize the refreshing effectwhich could allow menthol to be more accessible during exercise and sport.

The use of menthol in sport is controversial, as it can make a person feel cooler when exercising in the heat and allow them to exceed their thermal limits.

In theory, this could increase the risk of overheating and heat illnesses caused by physical exertion — a range of conditions ranging from muscle cramps to heat exhaustion and, in severe cases, life-threatening heatstroke.

However, this has not been an issue in published research to date. An international consensus statement concluded that menthol supplements are safe when prepared and implemented according to guidelines, and do not provide an unfair advantage or violate the spirit of sport.

Therefore, menthol is not currently a banned substance in sport.

The use of menthol in products is likely will become even more common in the future.

The next time you feel an unexpected sensation of freshness in a food, drink or cream, the list of ingredients will tell you if it’s the menthol that makes the difference.