A new study has solved the decades-old mystery of why mint creates a cooling sensation, and the findings could help us develop better treatments for pain, congestion, and dry eye.
Menthol, a compound in mint, acts on the same sensory receptors as cold temperatures but in a different way. Because of that, menthol increases the effect of cold, making substances feel cooler than they really are.
The findings could lead to more effective treatments for conditions like pain, congestion, and dry eye.Cool mint mouthwash, winterfresh toothpaste, polar mint gum: many breath-freshening products capitalize on the cooling power of mint. But why exactly does mint make our mouths feel cold? Our skin, mouths, and eyes are studded with temperature-detecting sensory nerves. They’re key to our survival, helping us to identify which environments, foods, and fluids are safe for our bodies. When the temperature of the air that touches our skin or the food we put in our mouths falls between 10° and 28°C , the TRPM8 receptor opens up, allowing ions to move into the attached nerve cell. This movement sends a message along the nerve fiber to the brain, which translates it into a perception of coolness., a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry in the lab of Prof. Seok-Yong Lee at Duke University. “It’s the primary sensor that tells your brain when it’s cold.”Mint plants contain an aromatic compound called menthol. It occurs in particularly high concentrations in spearmint and peppermint, and it seems to have evolved as a naturalthat menthol somehow activates the same nerve receptors as cold temperatures, but they weren’t able to show exactly how that happens until now. Using cryo-electron microscopy, a technique where molecules are frozen then imaged with an electron beam, Lee and his colleagues discovered that cold temperatures and menthol both activate TRPM8 receptors, but in distinctly different ways. Cold acts directly on what’s called the “pore” of the receptor, stimulating it to open so that ions can pass through. Menthol binds to a different part of TRPM8, changing the shape of the receptor in a way that forces the pore open. “Menthol is like a trick,” Lee explains. “It attaches to a specific part of the channel and triggers it to open, just like cold temperature would. So, even though menthol isn’t actually freezing anything, your body gets the same signal as if it were touching ice."The findings also shed light on why menthol makes other substances feel colder than they really are. Have you ever taken a deep breath after sucking on a mint and noticed the air felt cooler than before? Or been surprised by how icy water tastes after you’ve just brushed your teeth with mint toothpaste? Because cool temperatures and menthol activate the TRPM8 receptor in different ways, they compound each other’s effects, making the sensation of coolness even more intense.. It works both because its cooling sensation distracts the brain from pain and because, at high doses, it activates and desensitizes pain receptors. The compound is also a common ingredient in decongestants and lozenges. Menthol numbs the throat and makes it feel easier to breathe by cooling the airways.to treat dry eye. The drug relieves irritation and stimulates tear production by activating TRPM8 cold receptors in the eye.demonstrated that runners who used a menthol mouth rinse partway through training felt less hot and, as a result, were able to run faster in a 5-kilometer time trial. Drinking an ice slushie, on the other hand, lowered the runners’ actual body temperature but didn’t help them feel any cooler or run any faster. Study author Christopher Stevens, Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Southern Cross University, believes that’s because the psychological effects of menthol are as powerful as its physical effects.The Friend EffectSelf Tests are all about you. Are you outgoing or introverted? Are you a narcissist? Does perfectionism hold you back? Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.
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