When I eat spicy food, I feel sick but my stress is relieved. So, on stressful days, many people seek out spicy food. After my tongue tingles and a lot of sweat, I feel like my stress is relieved. However, although stress is relieved at the moment of eating, the problem arises afterward. If you eat too much spicy food, you may experience not only an upset stomach but also burning pain and burning in the anus. Why does my anus hurt the day after eating spicy food?
Spicy foodㅣSource: Midjourney
The brain perceives spicy tastes as pain. Our tongue can only sense sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. The reason food tastes spicy is because of capsaicin, which binds to the vanilloid receptor (TRPV1), also known as the capsaicin receptor, on the tongue. These receptors serve to transmit stimulation to the brain, and our brain recognizes this stimulation as pain caused by heat. This is why you feel a tingling sensation on your tongue.
Spicy ingredients in seasoning, such as red pepper and black pepper, are not absorbed by the digestive system and are excreted through the stool. The problem is that the nerves around the anus are similar to those in the mouth. Therefore, after eating spicy food, you feel a burning sensation in your anus. The small amount of capsaicin contained in peppers etc. is completely absorbed in the large intestine and is not excreted through the anus. However, in foods such as Buldak or Maratang, which are high in capsaicin, the capsaicin that is not absorbed in the large intestine is excreted through feces. At this time, it once again binds to the capsaicin receptor in the anus. Just like when you eat it, you feel pain due to heat. In other words, you feel a burning sensation in your anus because the pain area has changed from your tongue to your anus.
Additionally, acidic substances generated during the digestion of spicy food may irritate the anus, causing a hot sensation. These irritations can inflame the tissues around the anus or irritate the skin, causing stinging and pain.
The amount and distribution of capsaicin receptors vary from person to person. People who eat spicy foods well have fewer capsaicin receptors, so less pain is transmitted to the brain. Also, some people do not experience pain because their anus has fewer capsaicin receptors. This means that not everyone feels a burning sensation in the anus when eating spicy food.
Meanwhile, spicy food actually helps relieve stress. This is because the brain that feels pain secretes endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that relieve pain and stress, and their secretion increases as the pain increases. However, spicy foods damage the gastric mucosa. Therefore, if you are a person with a weak digestive system, it is best to avoid overly spicy foods and give it a period of about 3 days.
