Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAre They Real?Potential CausesRisks and ComplicationsControlling SweatingWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Are They Real?
Potential Causes
Risks and Complications
Controlling Sweating
When to See a Provider
The validity of meat sweats is debated, and there is no consensus on what, if anything, causes them. One of the more popular hypotheses is that they are related to diet-inducedthermogenesis(DIT), which is energy that is dissipated as heat after eating.
This article will discuss what science says about meat sweats,sweatingand feeling hot after eating, complications and risks of a meat-forward diet, how to control sweating after eating a heavy meat meal, and when to see a healthcare provider.
d3sign / Getty Images
What Science Says: Are Meat Sweats Real?
Eating food stimulates energy expenditure. Food-induced increased energy expenditure, called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), is related to digestion, transport and storage of nutrients, and heat production. Through energy metabolism, the chemical energy of food is converted to heat and various energy-rich intermediaries.
DIT is one hypothesis used to explain meat sweats. The idea is that DIT causes an increase in body temperature, promptingsweatingto cool back down. This is debated as DIT is believed to cause only a slight change in body temperature and is not expected to be enough to cause excessive sweating.
Protein requires more energy to digest than other macronutrients. DIT is about 25% to 30% of the energy content of ingested protein versus about 3% for fat and 7% to 8% for carbohydrates.
A 2020 study indicated that a high-protein diet increased diet-induced energy expenditure, resting energy expenditure, and total energy expenditure.
Other studies have found a significant increase in DIT after a high-protein meal compared to other meal compositions such ashigh-carbohydrate, high-fat, or moderate-protein meals.
It is important to note that these studies typically have methodology factors that limit their usefulness in widespread application, such as small sample sizes, subjects of only one gender, or people with certain medical conditions. More research is needed to explore the thermogenic effect of protein in meals.
These studies also do not link DIT to meat sweats. They just provide a basis for speculation on one possible explanation of meat sweats.
Other suggested explanations for meat sweats include:
Sweating and Feeling Hot After Eating
While called meat sweats, a more accurate term would be protein sweats. DIT, or the thermic effect of food, occurs with any type of food. But, since more energy is used to break down protein than other food compositions, it has the potential to cause a greater increase inbody temperaturethat could lead to sweating.
Processed meats have a protein component, and they stimulate cortisol, which also increases metabolic function.
Food combinations could also have an effect. For example, alcohol and protein can each lead to increased metabolic function and raise body temperature, so consuming them together could compound the issue. The same is true for sugary foods, spicy foods, and caffeine.
It’s also possible that the texture of meat contributes to the increased energy required.
Gustatory sweating, which is profuse sweating during or immediately after eating, can occur after eating meat but is also linked to many other foods.
Symptoms in People With Diabetes
Gustatory sweating (Frey’s syndrome) is a known complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A 2021 cross-sectional study of participants who had a form of diabetes and those who did not have diabetes found that the prevalence of gustatory sweating was about twice as high in those who had diabetes than in those who did not.
Thesweating in people with diabetestended to be in the face, head, and/or upper body. People with type 2 diabetes also tended to sweat longer than those with type 1 diabetes or those in the control group.
Complications and Risks of a Meat-Forward Diet
Eatingred meatregularly, particularly processed red meat, has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Research from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health found that replacing red and processed red meat with protein sources such as beans, soy, fish, nuts, or poultry appeared to reduce these risks.
They theorized that plant protein sources were related to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease because fats in these protein sources tend to be more unsaturated, which can lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and that plant sources do not contain cholesterol.
Red meat and/or processed meats have also been linked to:
How meat is cooked may also make a difference.Cooking or grilling meat at high temperatureshas been associated with:
When grilling, try to:
How to Control Sweating After Eating a Heavy Meat Meal
If you typically sweat after eating a heavy meat meal, and it bothers you, the best thing to do isavoid eating large quantities of meat.
If you are alreadysweating a lotor have been sweating:
When to See Healthcare Provider
The occasional meat sweats, without other symptoms that last a short time, are typically not something to worry about, but they are also not something to strive for.
If you are experiencing them regularly, check in with your healthcare provider to look for other potential causes, such as an underlying health condition.
Sweating can be asign of a heart attack. Seek immediate medical attention or call 911 if you have unexplained sweating, particularly if you have chest pain and/or other signs of a heart attack.
Contact your healthcare provider if:
Summary
“Meat sweats” is not a medical or scientific term. It is a colloquial term for sweating after eating a lot of protein, such as meat.
There is no good evidence on what meat sweats are or what causes them. The most widely used hypothesis is that it happens due to diet-induced thermogenesis, causing body temperature to rise as the body works to process a protein-heavy meal.
Red meat and processed meats have been linked to health concerns such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, andcertain cancers. Meats cooked at high heat may also have health concerns.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.INTEGRIS Health.Are meat sweats real?Ho KKY.Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe?Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;238(3):R185-R191. doi:10.1530/JOE-18-0240Aita S, Matsushita M, Yoneshiro T, et al.Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein.Front Nutr. 2022;9:1040444. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1040444Drummen M, Tischmann L, Gatta-Cherifi B, et al.High compared with moderate protein intake reduces adaptive thermogenesis and induces a negative energy balance during long-term weight-loss maintenance in participants with prediabetes in the postobese state:a preview study.The Journal of Nutrition. 2020;150(3):458-463. doi:10.1093/jn/nxz281Quatela A, Callister R, Patterson A, MacDonald-Wicks L.The energy content and composition of meals consumed after an overnight fast and their effects on diet induced thermogenesis: a systematic review, meta-analyses and meta-regressions.Nutrients. 2016;8(11):670. doi:10.3390/nu8110670Ochsner Health.What are the meat sweats and why do they happen?Klarskov CK, von Rohden E, Thorsteinsson B, Tarnow L, Lommer Kristensen P.Gustatory sweating in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors.Endocrino Diabet & Metabol. 2021;4(4):e00290. doi:10.1002/edm2.290Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Protein.Gu X, Drouin-Chartier JP, Sacks FM, Hu FB, Rosner B, Willett WC.Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males.Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;118(6):1153-1163. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021Liu G, Zong G, Wu K, et al.Meat cooking methods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies.Diabetes Care. 2018;41(5):1049-1060. doi:10.2337/dc17-1992Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Tips for a healthy summer picnic.MedlinePlus.Sweating.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.INTEGRIS Health.Are meat sweats real?Ho KKY.Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe?Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;238(3):R185-R191. doi:10.1530/JOE-18-0240Aita S, Matsushita M, Yoneshiro T, et al.Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein.Front Nutr. 2022;9:1040444. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1040444Drummen M, Tischmann L, Gatta-Cherifi B, et al.High compared with moderate protein intake reduces adaptive thermogenesis and induces a negative energy balance during long-term weight-loss maintenance in participants with prediabetes in the postobese state:a preview study.The Journal of Nutrition. 2020;150(3):458-463. doi:10.1093/jn/nxz281Quatela A, Callister R, Patterson A, MacDonald-Wicks L.The energy content and composition of meals consumed after an overnight fast and their effects on diet induced thermogenesis: a systematic review, meta-analyses and meta-regressions.Nutrients. 2016;8(11):670. doi:10.3390/nu8110670Ochsner Health.What are the meat sweats and why do they happen?Klarskov CK, von Rohden E, Thorsteinsson B, Tarnow L, Lommer Kristensen P.Gustatory sweating in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors.Endocrino Diabet & Metabol. 2021;4(4):e00290. doi:10.1002/edm2.290Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Protein.Gu X, Drouin-Chartier JP, Sacks FM, Hu FB, Rosner B, Willett WC.Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males.Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;118(6):1153-1163. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021Liu G, Zong G, Wu K, et al.Meat cooking methods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies.Diabetes Care. 2018;41(5):1049-1060. doi:10.2337/dc17-1992Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Tips for a healthy summer picnic.MedlinePlus.Sweating.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
INTEGRIS Health.Are meat sweats real?Ho KKY.Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe?Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;238(3):R185-R191. doi:10.1530/JOE-18-0240Aita S, Matsushita M, Yoneshiro T, et al.Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein.Front Nutr. 2022;9:1040444. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1040444Drummen M, Tischmann L, Gatta-Cherifi B, et al.High compared with moderate protein intake reduces adaptive thermogenesis and induces a negative energy balance during long-term weight-loss maintenance in participants with prediabetes in the postobese state:a preview study.The Journal of Nutrition. 2020;150(3):458-463. doi:10.1093/jn/nxz281Quatela A, Callister R, Patterson A, MacDonald-Wicks L.The energy content and composition of meals consumed after an overnight fast and their effects on diet induced thermogenesis: a systematic review, meta-analyses and meta-regressions.Nutrients. 2016;8(11):670. doi:10.3390/nu8110670Ochsner Health.What are the meat sweats and why do they happen?Klarskov CK, von Rohden E, Thorsteinsson B, Tarnow L, Lommer Kristensen P.Gustatory sweating in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors.Endocrino Diabet & Metabol. 2021;4(4):e00290. doi:10.1002/edm2.290Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Protein.Gu X, Drouin-Chartier JP, Sacks FM, Hu FB, Rosner B, Willett WC.Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males.Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;118(6):1153-1163. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021Liu G, Zong G, Wu K, et al.Meat cooking methods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies.Diabetes Care. 2018;41(5):1049-1060. doi:10.2337/dc17-1992Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Tips for a healthy summer picnic.MedlinePlus.Sweating.
INTEGRIS Health.Are meat sweats real?
Ho KKY.Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe?Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;238(3):R185-R191. doi:10.1530/JOE-18-0240
Aita S, Matsushita M, Yoneshiro T, et al.Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein.Front Nutr. 2022;9:1040444. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1040444
Drummen M, Tischmann L, Gatta-Cherifi B, et al.High compared with moderate protein intake reduces adaptive thermogenesis and induces a negative energy balance during long-term weight-loss maintenance in participants with prediabetes in the postobese state:a preview study.The Journal of Nutrition. 2020;150(3):458-463. doi:10.1093/jn/nxz281
Quatela A, Callister R, Patterson A, MacDonald-Wicks L.The energy content and composition of meals consumed after an overnight fast and their effects on diet induced thermogenesis: a systematic review, meta-analyses and meta-regressions.Nutrients. 2016;8(11):670. doi:10.3390/nu8110670
Ochsner Health.What are the meat sweats and why do they happen?
Klarskov CK, von Rohden E, Thorsteinsson B, Tarnow L, Lommer Kristensen P.Gustatory sweating in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors.Endocrino Diabet & Metabol. 2021;4(4):e00290. doi:10.1002/edm2.290
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Protein.
Gu X, Drouin-Chartier JP, Sacks FM, Hu FB, Rosner B, Willett WC.Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males.Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;118(6):1153-1163. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021
Liu G, Zong G, Wu K, et al.Meat cooking methods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies.Diabetes Care. 2018;41(5):1049-1060. doi:10.2337/dc17-1992
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Tips for a healthy summer picnic.
MedlinePlus.Sweating.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
