WEBVTT - What Are Meat Sweats?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbam here the meat sweats is more than just

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<v Speaker 1>an unexpectedly gross turn of phrase. It's become something of

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<v Speaker 1>a punchline and everything from a Progressive insurance commercial in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty sixteen to that Thanksgiving episode of the sitcom Friends

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<v Speaker 1>from two thousand and one in which Joey played by

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<v Speaker 1>Matt LeBlanc, consumes an entire turkey, then sits back and groans,

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<v Speaker 1>here come the meat sweats. And a while back, fast

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<v Speaker 1>food brand Arby's, which emphasizes the carnivora appeal of its menu,

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<v Speaker 1>gave away beef themed sweatpants and hoodies as a promotion.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, meat sweats. Miriam Webster even added this phrase

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<v Speaker 1>to their dictionary in twenty twenty three. It's a punchline

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<v Speaker 1>for a reason other than again that it's weirdly gross.

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<v Speaker 1>People who have consumed large amounts of animal protein have

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<v Speaker 1>occasionally reported that they've experienced a sensation of feeling flushed

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<v Speaker 1>and fatigued, accompanied by perspiration. Although there isn't an extensive

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<v Speaker 1>body of scientific literature on the meat sweats, it does

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<v Speaker 1>seem to be a real phenomenon for the article of

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<v Speaker 1>this episode is based on How Stuffworks. Spoke by email

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Lockwood, PhD, a Draper, Utah based consultant in food,

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<v Speaker 1>fitness and dietary supplement industries who holds his doctorate in

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<v Speaker 1>exercise physiology from the University of Oklahoma. He explained that

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<v Speaker 1>the thermal effect of feeding, or TEF for short, is

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<v Speaker 1>actually a good thing rather than a sign of distress

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<v Speaker 1>a quote. It means that your body is burning more

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<v Speaker 1>calories and fat than it typically does when processing a meal.

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<v Speaker 1>While you can get a thermal effect from eating other

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<v Speaker 1>foods besides meat, a huge steak will make you sweat

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<v Speaker 1>more than a loaded potato because protein is more difficult

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<v Speaker 1>to break down than carbohydrates are fat and has a

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<v Speaker 1>higher thermic effect when your body has to dieget and

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<v Speaker 1>use it. Meaning some people will experience an increase in

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<v Speaker 1>their core temperature when they eat a lot of meat,

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<v Speaker 1>and as a result might start to sweat as a

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<v Speaker 1>way for their body to help them cool off. But

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<v Speaker 1>the thermic effective protein only explains part of the total TEF.

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<v Speaker 1>According to Lockwood, protein also stimulates the release of hormones

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<v Speaker 1>that affect your thyroid and are involved in regulating your metabolism.

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<v Speaker 1>But okay, why would a meat eater sweat more than

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<v Speaker 1>someone who eats a plateful of tofu with the same

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<v Speaker 1>amount of protein. A one plausible explanation, according to Lockwood,

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<v Speaker 1>is that the simple act of chewing also affects the metabolism.

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<v Speaker 1>He says that researchers demonstrated this by having some experimental

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<v Speaker 1>subjects eat a solid meal while others consume the same

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<v Speaker 1>amount of calories and identical nutrients as a liquid pure

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<v Speaker 1>For those who had to chew, the tef more than doubled.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want to avoid meat sweats, it's fairly easy

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<v Speaker 1>eat a bit less, especially if you've had meat sweats

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<v Speaker 1>happen before and know about the point at which it

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<v Speaker 1>starts for you. It doesn't mean you need to go

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<v Speaker 1>hungry and just focus on foods other than proteins, vegetables

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<v Speaker 1>or carbs, preferably whole grains, but you know treats are nice.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember that, based on general healthy dietary guidelines, a serving

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<v Speaker 1>of meat is around three to four ounces, or a

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<v Speaker 1>piece about the size of your palm. Of course, everyone's

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<v Speaker 1>body is different and nutrition is complicated. If you're here

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<v Speaker 1>because you're concerned about your meat sweats, consult a medical

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<v Speaker 1>professional who is not us. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 1>the article our meat Sweats A Real Thing on HowStuffWorks

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, written by Patrick Jake Hyder. Brain Stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts

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