Watch out for your image in the event of an important (or romantic!) lunch. According to an ENT specialist, 6 common foods have the unpleasant gift of causing a runny nose in some people. A phenomenon called gustatory rhinitis, which is nothing serious, but can be uncomfortable.
Have you ever experienced this temporary discomfort? After a few bites of a dish, spicy for example, your nose tingles and sniffs until it turns into a real faucet. If so, know that you are not alone, as Dr. Ashley Agan, ENT, reveals in Well+ Good magazine.
Rhinitis linked to what you eat
But why does your nose start to run? This comes from a phenomenon called gustatory rhinitis in medicine. If the reasons are not very clear today, Dr Agan sets out the medical consensus on the subject:
“It is assumed that the stimulation of trigeminal nerve causes a reflex leading to parasympathetic activation, which causes the nose to run”, she explains.
The trigeminal nerve, the largest and most complex of the 12 cranial nerves, is responsible for facilitating sensations in the face, mucous membranes, and other parts of the head. Stimulating it could thus cause unwanted post-nasal drip when you are trying to enjoy your meal in peace. That is to say without parasitic flow.
People with allergies and the elderly are more affected
Gustatory rhinitis is common but does not affect everyone. An “allergic terrain” is often mentioned. “Having other forms of rhinitis, such as allergic rhinitismay make patients more likely to suffer from gustatory rhinitis”, explains Dr. Agan. Additionally, she says this phenomenon is more common among older people.
A 2010 study in the journal Rhinology adds that people can develop a non-immunologic disease due to cranial nerve dysfunction as well as following certain surgeries and trauma.
These 6 foods that inflame your nose
To avoid this inconvenience, it is still necessary to identify the foods which have this irritating power. Unsurprisingly, it concerns a certain category of ingredients: “Hot foods or spices are the most common triggers”, explains Dr. Agan. According to a 2021 review of Journal of Clinical Medicinethe most common food promoters contain capsaicin, and are:
- Hot pepper;
- Cayenne pepper;
- Tabasco sauce;
- The onions ;
- The vinegar ;
- The mustard.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Runny nose: inevitable?
Fortunately, gustatory rhinitis is only a temporary condition which does not necessarily require medical treatment. Moreover, a large part of the people who “sniffle” simply do not seek to resolve this problem, which they do not perceive as that serious. It all ultimately depends on how you feel. “This is a benign condition, but if it is bothersome you should seek professional advice. oto-rhino-laryngologiste“, shares DrAgan
“Typically, it can be treated quite easily with an ipratropium bromide nasal spray. There is also a procedure to treat the posterior nasal nerve, which is also effective. Both are good options if you want to stop the sniffling and definitively overcome the drip when eating.”
Otherwise, you can also avoid the offending foods, or keep a pack of tissues handy.
