Craving for some super spicy dish like chili Ramen bowl, flaming hot chicken wings.Â
But the burn after consuming these have you worried and forced you to give up on your favorite food? Who doesn’t love spicy food? But the next day in the washroom isn’t quite pleasing.
Yes, I am referring to the burning sensation while pooping after consuming spicy meals. If you are among those for whom the result of having delicious spicy food is a burning sensation while pooping, we’ve some tips for you.
Why Does My Poop Burn After Eating Spicy Food?
Let’s see the aftermath of consuming spicy and high-fat foods.
When you eat food high in spice or fat, the compounds that provide these foods heat stir across your body quite consistently.
As these are not nutrients, your body does not absorb them, states Luigi Basso, a specialist in Colo proctologist and laparoscopic surgery at Sapienza University of Rome in Italy. As these are not absorbed, this results in your poop getting entwined with spice particles, and this explains the analogy behind your burning poop.
Hence, as the last region of your anal tube – the anus and rectum – is coated with cells identical to those present in your mouth, spicy foods perhaps could result in equivalent burning of your anus equivalent to that of your mouth.
Conditions Associated with Poop Burn
The burning poop sensation and irritation after eating meals high in spice is likely to be experienced by almost 6 out of 10 people. But these common symptoms might actually get even worse for people already facing gastrointestinal issues.
Thus, “make sure you don’t have other things going on that would predispose you to be more sensitive,” Bruno P. Chumpitazi suggests. M.D. Bruno P. Chumpitazi is a representative of the American Gastroenterological Association and director of the neurogastroenterology and motility program at Texas Children’s Hospital.
If these symptoms persist for a greater amount of time, they might lead to greater health complications.
Allergy or Intolerance to Certain Kinds of Foods
When your system detects any allergic component in your intestine, it generates an immediate immune response.
One of the action responses is diarrhea. This is because the immune system signals the digestive system to get rid of the irritant.
Irritable Bowl Syndrome
People suffering from irritable bowel syndrome are generally over-sensitive to foods. Thus, consumption of spicy foods can lead to pain and discomfort for them.
Hemorrhoids
Hot foods can even be challenging for individuals with hemorrhoids or rectal fissures, states Dr. Chumpitazi. Those fissures are exactly how they sound like – tiny tears that tend to arise due to constipation and seldom also due to diarrhea.
Hemorrhoids are actually swollen veins around the anal region or rectum ending.
Metformin
In the case of diabetic patients, the burning sensation and irritation might also be the side-effect of metformin, a drug used for treating type 2 diabetes.
Food Poisoning
The discomfort might be a result of food poisoning.
Food poisoning for a longer time period can lead to irritation due to frequent requirements for wiping.
How to Tackle the Problem of Burning Poop
The sensory receptors that notify your nervous system to the discomfort are present in your digestive tract, so in order to get rid of the problem, we must fix the root first
Modify Your Dietary Plan
- The food you consume has a major impact on your body mechanisms.
- The first and foremost change you need to do in your diet is to cut off or reduce your intake of spicy or fatty foods.
- Excessive fat consumption can be an issue of concern as the bile salts used by your body to digest these can irk the epidermis of your anus, says Brooks D. Cash, M.D., a professor of medicine at the University of South Alabama.
- If cutting down on spice intake is not your piece of cake, then make sure to input fiber in your stomach prior to or just after eating, says Dr. Cash suggests.
- The fiber would aid in binding the spice inside your poop thus averting the burning sensation.
- It’s a good practice to have a fiber-rich diet.
- Aside from being beneficial for your digestive health, having a high-fiber diet even aids in preventing constipation, anal fissures, and even hemorrhoids, which might be causing your burning problem.
- Fissures and hemorrhoids are sometimes relieved by sitting in a warming bath while waiting for the fiber to work(Soap is not necessary).
Increase Your Spice Intake
Funny right? This might sound ridiculous but if you absolutely cannot live without spicy food, try to eat many of them in a short amount of time, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel.
Let me give you a scientific explanation for this absurd statement. Consuming only spicy foods for a few days, you develop “rectal hypersensitivity,” which causes burning pains, frequent urination, and other uncomfortable symptoms, states Sutep Gonlachanvit, M.D, Chulalongkorn University’s gastroenterology division chief in Bangkok, Thailand.
However, sustained consumption of spicy foods for more than three weeks can lead to desensitization and resulting reduction in rectal sensation, according to Dr.Sutep. According to his research, people who ate 2.1 grams of hot pepper per day-or about 1.25 teaspoons of cayenne pepper-experienced this benefit.
It’s a hot pepper boot camp for your butt that Dr. Islam recommends you try for a week. “Have one spicy hell week,” he comments. “Go crazy and develop the tolerance.” Eventually, you become tolerant to spices once your gut pain receptors are trained to handle them.
Dr. Chumpitazi explains this with an example. It is like wearing a shirt right after you have just showered. The sensory receptors send the signal to your brain.
The brain interprets it. As the brain is well aware of this signal as every day you are putting some cloth on, it takes it as a normal thing and thus it can cease giving attention to those signals over time
Treat Your Butt
It is not just your face that has to be cleansed! Even though, you won’t require to use toner or moisturizer for this region, properly cleansing actually aids in soothing the burn and itchiness.
Proper hygiene is important for a healthy life. If the discomfort you are facing is unbearable, soothing creams might temporarily give you some relief. The sensory receptors are present in the internal lining of your GI tract, so applying something on the outside seems implausible to be helpful in the long run.
However, as a short-term solution or for immediate relief, you can try applying a soothing ointment like Calmoseptine ointment, which has calamine in it that can aid in reducing itchiness and burn. You may even try Desitin. It’s better to go with a soothing and cooling cream as it may temporarily give you relief from the uncomfortable feeling.
Dr. Islam suggests ensuring that the ointment you are using doesn’t contain Prednisone or any steroid, as they can worsen the irritation. Simply apply a swab the proportion of a penny to the anal opening and fabricate a fine smear, suggests Arnold Wald, M.D., a professor and a hepatologist and a gastroenterologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Consult a Doctor
Lastly, if you’re still experiencing discomfort after taking a burning poop, then see your doctor.
Irritation and pain in your butt might be an indication towards a more serious health risk like an infection, cancer, or abscess, states Steven D. Wexner, M.D., director of the Digestive Disease Center at Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Even after trying the above remedies, if the burning persists, then it’s time for you to visit your doctor. Geez!!
Spice Burn Prevention Tips
As we all know prevention is always better than cure!!
If you are intolerant to spice but love that spicy aroma and taste, then instead of directly jumping on a super spicy meal, try starting with a bit less spicy diet. Slowly increase the level of spiciness little by little.
It is even recommended to include bland foods in your meal such as yogurt, curd, or bread. Try including as less fat in your diet as possible. Consuming foods rich in fiber and less in far while eating foods high in spice can help in diluting the spice effect.
Precautions to Take While Suffering from Spice Burn
An individual experiencing burning diarrhea should even:
- Cut down on consumption of spicy foods or any kind of meal with identified allergens.
- Try to wipe as gently as possible.
- Clean the burning area with lukewarm water and unscented baby wipes.
- Take a warm bath with Epsom salts.
- Try avoiding substances and meals that cause dehydration, like alcohol and coffee.
- Avoid tobacco and beer consumption.
- Apply a soothing ointment or a water repellent cream to the affected area.
- Avoid consumption of sugary or fatty foods.
- Use OTC (Over The Counter) hemorrhoid creams.
- Use OTC (Over The Counter) pain medication.
- Try taking probiotic supplements.
FAQs
What to Eat After Spicy Food?
If your stomach gets upset after consuming spicy foods, try soothing your tummy by eating cooling foods like cheese, dairy, or ice cream!!
Starch-rich foods like bread can even aid in reducing agitation. Drink a glass full of milk after eating. This will definitely help to cool down your stomach.
How Long Does It Take for Spicy Poop to Pass?
It may take a day or several until it’s fully cleared. Try drinking milk or eating a cup of yogurt, bread, or rice, and wash yourself gently with cool water after number 2.
Take care that you don’t eat too much fat as that tends to make diarrhea worse. Call your General Physician if you’re not sure, don’t be embarrassed, I doubt you’re alone in this.
If I Directly Swallow the Spiciest Pepper, Would It Still Be Spicy After Being Pooped Out?
Ohhh, so you decided to take the shortcut to the spiciest pepper challenge. Rather than eat it. You’re going to swallow it. What could go wrong, right?
Your body’s first precaution against consuming something that is bad for you is your taste buds and receptors. Anyhow, you bypassed your body’s first precaution against eating something bad for you. hmmm… so what is your body going to do? it is going to try to process it.
It will realize that this capsaicin product is something bad and try to flush it out. Unfortunately, you still have nerve receptors at the … other end of processing. It’s still gonna hurt.
When Is Spicy Too Spicy?
“When all you can taste is the heat”.
When the food has no flavor. What’s the point of eating?!!Eating such level of spicy foods can give painful results for sure.
Conclusion:
Try reducing your daily intake of foods high in spice and fat. If you are facing frequent irritation, it is better if you visit a doctor as this may impact your body in the long term.
Include foods rich in fiber in your diet so that the spice molecules are binded by fiber particles and thus preventing the weird sensation. Dairy Products act as a greater aid in getting rid of burns. Hence, you can go with the idea of drinking milk to lessen the burning sensation.
Cleaning and applying an ointment or relief creams to your butt can be your solution for a short-term fix. If any of these does not effective for you, you might be having some serious gastrointestinal issues. Try consulting a doctor as early as possible.