Why Spicy Food Makes You Poop

Spicy foods can make you poop when pain receptors in the digestive tract react to a compound called capsaicin that gives chili peppers their heat. The pain signals trigger the release of a hormone that speeds up intestinal contractions, known as peristalsis, forcing food through the gut more rapidly and sometimes even leading to diarrhea.

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How Your Body Reacts to Capsaicin

Foods made with hot spices, such as cayenne or chili peppers, contain the potent irritant capsaicin that can cause warm or burning sensations when it comes into contact with the skin, eyes, or lining of the mouth. It does so by binding to and stimulating pain receptors known as nociceptors found on many parts of the body.

When you eat spicy foods, your gastrointestinal (digestive) tract may also react to capsaicin, leading to symptoms like:

• Stomach upset
• Stomach pain
• A "grumbling" stomach
• The sudden need to defecate (poop)
• Rectal burning during defecation
• Diarrhea (in extreme cases)

The severity of symptoms can vary by how much capsaicin you ingest and/or how sensitive your body is to capsaicin.

Why This Happens

The way that capsaicin stimulates pain and bowel movements is distinctive, involving not only nociceptors but also different hormones and specific parts of the nervous system.

Here's generally how it works:

1. When you eat spicy peppers, capsaicin binds to a nociceptor called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1) found in the lining of the mouth, the surface of the tongue, and throughout the digestive tract.
2. The binding activates a part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system which regulates involuntary functions like digestion and physical sensations like pain.
3. The activation induces a type of pain known as visceral pain involving internal organs. Unlike somatic pain felt in the skin, visceral pain is generally described as deep, gnawing, and aching.
4. The activation simultaneously triggers the release of a hormone called motilin whose role is to stimulate rhythmic intestinal contractions (peristalsis). The sudden surge in motilin moves food faster through the gut to get capsaicin out of the system.
5. The increased contractions, in turn, change the osmotic pressure in the gut, drawing water into the intestines. So, you may not only feel like pooping soon after eating chili, but your poop may also be watery and loose.
6. Finally, because capsaicin is not completely broken down in the gut, it can cause burning sensations as it comes into contact with TRPV1 receptors in the rectum.

What to Do if You Get Diarrhea

The only surefire way to prevent diarrhea from spicy food is to avoid spicy foods or reduce your consumption of foods made with chili peppers. If pain and diarrhea develop soon after eating chilis, you can try the following home remedies:

• Milk: Dairy contains a protein called casein that helps break down capsaicin. This can help ease mouth pain and stomach upset.
• Lemonade: Lemonade and carbonated lemon-lime sodas like 7-Up and Sprite contain citric acid that may help neutralize capsaicin, which is alkaline.
• BRAT diet: Short-term use of this home remedy consisting of banana, rice, applesauce, and toast helps bind loose stool and may help ease burning sensations in the stomach.
• Peppermint oil: The menthol in peppermint oil also binds to TRPV1 receptors and may help block the effects of capsaicin. Peppermint tea may also help to settle an upset stomach.
• Pepto-Bismol: The bismuth in Pepto-Bismol helps coat the stomach and reduces upset stomach and diarrhea caused by eating spicy foods.

It's also important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and to avoid caffeinated beverages like colas and coffee which can make diarrhea worse.

Are There Benefits to Eating Chili?

Eating chilis can make you uncomfortable, but they don't necessarily cause harm unless you eat too much. When eaten in moderation, there are numerous potential benefits to consuming spicy foods and the capsaicin in them, such as:

• Enhanced moods: Eating chilis makes some people happy due to the release of "feel-good" chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins, like the hormone serotonin, are released in response to heat and sweating, giving you a short-term boost in your moods.
• Improved heart health: When eaten regularly, capsaicin has been shown to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, increase "good" HDL cholesterol, and even potentially reduce plaque buildup in arteries.
• Improved gut health: Capsaicin has known analgesic (pain-relieving) effects when applied to the skin ) via over-the-counter products like Icy Hot Patch). These effects, largely attributed to endorphins, may also help reduce gastric inflammation and the risk of ulcers.
• Increased longevity: Studies suggest that the moderate consumption of chilis may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality (death) by 12%. These benefits are thought to be linked to improved heart health.
  

Who Should Not Eat Spicy Foods?

Despite the potential benefits of spicy foods, there are people who should avoid them. These include people with chronic digestive disorders in whom capsaicin can make symptoms worse, such as those with:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Gallbladder disease
• Celiac disease
• Anal fissures
• Gastrointestinal cancers

You need to weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks to decide if eating chilis even in small amounts is worth it. In some cases, the harms may exceed the benefits.

Even if your digestive health is good, a diet high in chili peppers can cause long-term harm. Among them, studies in Asia have shown that high chili pepper consumption is linked to a two-fold increased risk of stomach cancer as well as an increased risk of esophageal and gallbladder cancer.

In contrast, low to moderate consumption of chilis was not linked to an increased cancer risk.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Diarrhea triggered by hot or spicy food usually clears up in a day or two, and you probably won't need to see a healthcare provider.  In most cases, taking it easy on your gut and eating non-spicy foods for a few days will get you through occasional diarrhea.

However, if diarrhea does not improve in a couple of days and you have signs of dehydration (like dry mouth, reduced urination, and dizziness), seek medical attention.

Key Takeaways

• Spicy foods cause you to poop because of a chemical called capsaicin that binds to pain receptors in the gut, stimulating contractions of the intestine. In some cases, diarrhea can develop.
• If diarrhea develops, you can ease symptoms by drinking milk, eating a BRAT diet, sipping lemonade, sipping peppermint teas, and taking Pepto-Bismol.
• You can avoid stomach pain and diarrhea by consuming chili peppers in moderation. This is especially true if you have irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, GERD, stomach ulcers, or anal fissures.