How Spicy Food Affects Your Digestive System

How Spicy Food Affects Your Digestive System Dr. Travis Stork: The first question today is an email from Tabitha of Marshfield, Wisconsin and she writes, “I love hot pepper sauce, buffalo wings and salsa, but I’ve always wanted to know why the spicy food make it burn when I go number 2.” Well, you know what? I never thought I’d be answering this question on national TV but, I’ve got to go ahead and do it. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yeah. Dr. Travis Stork: When you eat spicy food, what happens is you take an ingredients that are spicy and the spicy ingredients, they actually maintain their structure after you eat them so the travel all the way through your digestive track, your stomach, you small intestine, and as you see there, it retains it “heat” and as it travels through the small intestines and the large intestine, it maintains those ingredients, they can irritate the lining and can cause diarrhea and some people, and the reason it burn so much is those -- those ingredients, those burning ingredients just like when they touch your mouth, when they tough your anus, it burns. And it’s not -- go ahead. Dr. Drew Ordon: The medical term for that is flaming -- Dr. Travis Stork: “The flaming buttockus” Dr. Drew Ordon: I mean that was so hot in that graphic but it literally peeled the skin off for the person. Dr. Travis Stork: Do you want some hot chilies? Dr. Lisa Masterson: Well, you can definitely take the shaping down there, after that, they get diarrhea and it’s hot, it burn and you don’t even want to go. It’s like whoa!! Dr. Travis Stork: Well, you know, they don’t -- contrary to popular opinions, spicy foods don’t cause ulcers, they don’t cause hemorrhage, they may exacerbate your condition. Dr. Jim Sears: So actually, I’ve got to demonstrate this? This are some of buffalo wings from Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, that is where the Buffalo Wing was invented and these are the suicide hot wings that they have. I’m going to show you -- Dr. Travis Stork: Are you going to eat some? Dr. Jim Sears: I’m going to eat some. I actually love spicy foods. Dr. Drew Ordon: Hey Jim, I didn’t know, that that’s why they’re called Buffalo Wings, because they come from Buffalo. Did you know that? Dr. Lisa Masterson: No, but I -- Dr. Travis Stork: I did know that, but I didn’t know this where they originated. I thought it’s from Buffalo at LA. Dr. Lisa Masterson: How hot is it? Dr. Jim Sears: I’ll let you know, I think it’s -- oh boy! Hold on. Dr. Drew Ordon: Jim, lot’s of luck tomorrow morning. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yeah. This is -- Dr. Travis Stork: I may miss work tomorrow, I don’t want to deal with the results of this. Dr. Jim Sears: These are really hot. These are really getting hot now. Dr. Travis Stork: But you’ve got little something here too. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yeah, you might want to take some sugar, it has a really hot -- Dr. Drew Ordon: We want you to report back tomorrow. Dr. Travis Stork: Report back tomorrow. Verbally, out not -- Dr. Jim Sears: Oh my God, I don’t have any water. I think -- Dr. Lisa Masterson: I think we may find out today. Dr. Jim Sears: Yeah, I think I’ll -- Dr. Travis Stork: Hey, one quick tip for people at home, if you’re eating a lot of spicy food, if you mix in some things like rice, it will actually dilute it and that will improve some of those symptoms of the burning Dr. Lisa Masterson: And sugar, sugar helps too. Dr. Travis Stork: Or if you really don’t like the burning down there, you can just lower your intake of spicy foods that’s one other option. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Oh, but it’s so good.