Reference no: EM131737956

The invention of ice cream dates as far back as the second century BC, though food history experts still do not know exactly who-or where-to give credit for the original recipe of the icy cold, beloved summertime treat. What is known is this: During the Roman Empire, Caesar feasted on snow flavored with various fruits and juices. Italian explorer Marco Polo returned home from his travels to the East with a recipe for sherbet. By the seventeenth century, Europe had discovered the delights of "cream ice," as it was first called, and less than a century after that, America's founding fathers were enjoying the tasty treat themselves. It was not until the beginning of the nineteenth century that ice cream made its way to the masses, thanks to the invention of the first freezers and the innovative know-how of a dairy dealer who transformed ice-cream-making into the art and industry we know today.

Unfortunately, even ice cream is not unencumbered by the occasional adverse effect: the cold-stimulus headache, known colloquially, of course, as "brain freeze." The history of brain freeze is surely as old (if not as revered) as ice cream itself. Now, twenty-first-century scientists have undertaken research to discover the precise cause of that summertime ailment that no doubt afflicted even the likes of Caesar or Marco Polo from time to time. Brain freezes erupt in the front of the brain, right behind the forehead, when people eat ice cream or other frozen foods too quickly. They rarely last more than a minute, and because they are the only headache that can be willingly induced, they provide rich fodder for researchers interested in the causes of headaches more generally. At the moment, no one knows for certain the causes of brain freezes, though there are a couple of theories. One theory is that the ache occurs from a sudden increase in blood flow to the brain. Another theory holds that the icy sensation of cold foods stimulates a nerve in the roof of the mouth, which overreacts and misinterprets the message, sending a signal to the brain that indicates pain rather than pleasure.

Whatever the cause of brain freeze, the solution, of course, is simple: Eat more slowly. But try telling this to yourself when the temperature outside has hit a world-record high and the air conditioner is on the fritz. The next time you suffer that age-old cold front across the forehead, close your eyes and console yourself with the knowledge that you are just joining the ranks of history's great ice-cream aficionados. Then hold your ice cream cone high, toast the anonymous innovator of the stuff, and continue licking away.

Which of the following statements can be inferred from the selection?

A. Ice cream headaches do not pose a serious threat to human health.

B. Doctors advise against inducing ice cream headaches because of the pain they cause.

C. Independent researchers have found a connection between ancient and modern ice-cream-eating habits.

D. The inventor of ice cream preferred to remain anonymous to make a charitable contribution to food history.