So if they are so bad for you why do you continue to crave them? Well, if you can handle the spice, Hot Cheetos keep you wanting more due to their rapid breakdown in the mouth, Capsaicin rush, and ratio of sensory pleasure.
Food manufacturers have engineered Hot Cheetos to breakdown easily in the mouth due to their corn-based texture. This tricks the brain into thinking that you have not consumed a lot of calories allowing you to easily consume a large quantity without feeling satisfied.
The "hotness" of Hot Cheetos is due to the chemical capsaicin, which is the same chemical compound that is found in chili peppers. When this chemical contained in Hot Cheetos is consumed, the brain elicits a biological response related to pain and pleasure. The spicy sensation causes the brain to register this as pain and releases endorphins to counteract the pain. The endorphins create a temporary sense of pleasure which encourages you to continue munching on the snack.
Not only do Hot Cheetos have a satisfying crunch, but they also have a ratio of salt, fat, and flavors (like MSG) that excites our taste bud' and triggers the brain's dopamine reward system. When you really think about it, Hot Cheetos are designed to produce a rush of pleasure chemicals in the brain.
You may have heard of Hot Cheetos causing stomach pain, pain using the bathroom after they have been digested, or even patients being admitted to the hospital due to the overconsumption of Hot Cheetos.
Like I mentioned above, Hot Cheetos contain Capsaicin which is not absorbed till it reaches your intestines. So as it passes through the stomach and small intestine it can irritate the protective mucosal lining. The seasoning in Hot Cheetos contains acidic ingredients like citric acid and sodium diacetate.
For frequent Hot Cheeto consumers this constant irritation can lead to inflammation to the stomach lining, resulting in gastritis. Capsaicin also has the ability to relax the esophageal sphincter which allows stomach acid to travel back up into the esophagus and cause symptoms like heartburn and acid reflux.
Overall, Hot Cheetos are best to be enjoyed in moderation, to prevent gastrointestinal distress!
References:
Ellis, Philip. “A Doctor Broke down What Flaming Hot Cheetos Can Do to Your Gut.” Men’s Health, 24 Apr. 2021, www.menshealth.com/health/a36216200/flaming-hot-cheetos-gut-health-gastroenterologist-sameer-islam/.
Fulton, Wil. “Can Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Really Send You to the Hospital?” Thrillist, 26 Sept. 2018, www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/are-flamin-hot-cheetos-bad-for-you-lil-xan-hospitalized. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Im glad I made it on the blog! This was an interesting read because I love hot Cheetos (as you may tell in the photo). It's so interesting how a snack could hit these different pathways. It makes sense how the capsaicin pain pleasure effect and the salty, crunch texture makes people come back for more even though it can cause stomach pain later on. Its a good reminder that enjoying them once in a while is okay but overdoing it (like every time in Dr.Campisis class) can upset your gut. My question is do you think people crave hot Cheetos because of its spicy flavor or because the rush of pleasure chemicals being released in the brain when we eat them or both?
ReplyDeleteHi Valla, I of course had to include you in the post since we both share a love for Hot Cheetos! I also found the capsaicin effect very interesting since it explains why I continue to keep munching on the snack even when my mouth is on fire. I personally think sharing them every time we have class with Dr. Campisi is the perfect example of moderation (even though he is likely to disagree). To answer your question, I think people crave Hot Cheetos because of the interconnected effect the spicy flavor has on the brain's reward system leading to the release of pleasure chemicals. Your question actually made me curious if the effect of Hot Cheetos is stronger in some individuals compared to others. Apparently, some people are born with fewer capsaicin receptors than others so the spicy effect can vary from person to person. Also these receptors can become desensitized overtime depending on if you regularly consume spicy foods. So I think we might have both been born with the same amount or more capsaicin receptors than the average individual. Great, now I'm craving Hot Cheetos.
DeleteThank you for your comment and follow up question!
“DO YOU FEEL the BURN? THE SCIENCE behind YOUR SPICE TOLERANCE.” The Dish on Science, thedishonscience.stanford.edu/articles/do-you-feel-the-burn-the-science-behind-your-spice-tolerance.
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ReplyDeleteI love this post Bella! I am too much of a weenie to eat hot cheetos, but I love the regular ones!! I wonder if the same mechanism applies to eating sweet treats? Like does a Twix bar activate your dopamine reward system the same way hot cheetos do?
ReplyDeleteThis made me wonder about sugar addiction in general. I have heard mixed things online- some people saying its totally legit and some saying it might be BS. I found an article- Sugar addiction: the state of the science- and even the article seems to say the evidence to suggest sugar addiction is legit is inconclusive. So I guess there's still more work to be done there!
Westwater, M. L., Fletcher, P. C., & Ziauddeen, H. (2016). Sugar addiction: The state of the science. European Journal of Nutrition, 55(S2), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-016-1229-6
Hi Izzy, thank you for your comment! I was actually the exact same way when I first tried Hot Cheetos; but the dopamine reward system was definitely a factor that kept me snacking on them till I was eventually able to tolerate the spice. You brought up such a great point about sugar! I definitely get cravings for a sweet treat the same way I do for Hot Cheetos, but I was curious about the if the physiological pathways are the same as well. I did some research and found an article confirming that hot cheetos and sugar both activate the brain's dopamine reward system, but use different chemicals to do so. Sugar does this through sugar, fat and salt, while Hot Cheetos use salt, fat, and flavor. I think that the article you included in your comment suggests that research has not yet been able to prove humans have a substance abuse disorder type of correlation with sugar , while results in mice show withdrawal like symptoms to sugar. I believe that humans have more of a strong draw to seek out sugar rather than an addiction because it's an easy way to trigger that reward signal.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interactive response Izzy!
Implications for Obesity.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 15, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 37–46, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3124340/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.001.
Oops! First part of the citation got cut out:
DeleteVolkow, Nora D., et al. “Reward, Dopamine and the Control of Food Intake: Implications for Obesity.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 15, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 37–46, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3124340/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.001.