On hot summer days, many of us think that there is nothing better than enjoying delicious ice cream.
But unfortunately, this cold dessert does not always help to cool down.
To understand why ice cream doesn't have a cooling effect, it's worth taking a closer look at its ingredients, says Bogdan Lugovoy, a professor and food researcher at Mount Saint Vincent University.
Ice cream is made from products in which the predominant ingredients are milk fat and sugar.
When fat is broken down in the body, a large amount of heat is released - compared to other nutrients, fats have the highest energy content, so they are able to release heat in the body.
When we eat ice cream, we actually feel coolness – cold temperature is detected by receptors located in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract.
But once the dessert melts, its cooling effect diminishes.
Milk fat and sugar produce heat in the body. As you can imagine, if it is hot outside, additional heat can have a negative effect on your well-being.
