are 'meat sweats' a thing?

snapshots of piled meat and barbecued ribs on social media often come with captions like “bring on the meat sweats,” usa today reports .

meat sweats, as the name suggests, happen when you perspire after eating a meal rich in meat. the phrase has been bandied about in tv shows, most famously by ‘friends’ character joey tribbiani after eating a whole turkey on thanksgiving.

and earlier this summer, limited edition meat sweat defense antiperspirant spray and deodorant products were launched by deodorant brand old spice in collaboration with arby’s fast food chain.

science is on the fence when it comes to meat sweats

research on digestion shows that different foods prompt different responses, and  macronutrients, like carbohydrates, proteins and fats, are broken down in different ways. what’s called the thermic effect of food (tef) is the amount of energy your body uses to break down a food. digestion causes an increase in the production of heat, thermogenesis, which in theory could raise your body temperature, so you burn calories and potentially perspire, according to the journal nutrition & metabolism . in fact, a  study in the american journal of clinical nutrition found that tef can last beyond six hours after you’ve eaten, so you could be feeling the effects of that meaty meal for some time.

gena hamshaw, a registered dietitian in new york city and the author of  the full helping vegan blog , told usa today that your body can only absorb a certain amount of protein at any given time, and when you go over that amount, you can risk poor absorption and digestion.

canada’s food guide recommends two servings of meat or meat alternatives a day for women and three servings for men. a serving is about 75g, described as the size of the palm of your hand.