# Why don’t spicy foods burn when you urinate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652 "2002-10-31T04:51:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/21 "2010-09-18T21:50:25Z")
flaming zombie poo, excellent ETA: @ Ferret Hereder I have heard one burning sphincter comment from a woman. It was noteworthy in that most women tend not to discuss such things, or at least not with dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/22 "2010-09-18T21:56:54Z")
Well, we’re all on the Internet here, and as a female, I’ve never had any burning pain whatsoever from my sphincter. Have had some burning feeling during urination (UTI which got treated). I hope to god that I don’t suddenly have a burning poop tonight. Karma and all… ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/23 "2010-09-19T00:26:24Z")
IMHO, wins the thread, seat down. Why can’t I edit the title? ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/24 "2010-09-19T00:48:33Z")
You definitely can sometimes feel it when peeing. I made a special trip to the doctor at age 18 because it BURNED to pee. I had taken a strong liking to spicy food in grade 6. By age 18 it became a free(cheap!) condiment on every meal and i really over did it. I liked to drink hot sauce and swallow teaspoon fulls of crushed chili flakes. Around that time I had an interesting encounter with a slightly older woman and I figured she lent me something other than experience. So off to the doctor, right? My regular doctor was not in(suspicious!) and I ended up with an intern of some sort. I did the pee test and then he looked me in the eye and said “We have to do another test and I’m really really sorry”, which just made me nervous. I laughed it off. And he said, “No, really, I really want to apologize for what I’m about to do.” He swabbed my urethra with a long cotton Q-tip. If you think cotton is soft, you have no idea. It was like sand paper. Needless to say, no unwelcome ‘gifts’ were found, no infections and no stones or anything. They chalked it up to the large amount of spicy food I was eating. I got used to it. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/25 "2010-09-19T01:05:33Z")
I am soooo glad that spicy thing doesn’t happen to me. Especially after last night. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/26 "2010-09-19T03:05:24Z")
…through a _catheter?_…owowowowowowowow!!! The one time I had one, it was inserted after they knocked me out (I was nine, major back surgery) but I remember the removal all too well! I’m left wondering how you could distinguish the burning from capsaicin from the burning of having a catheter shoved up there, which can’t be any fun judging by the removal. **FuzzyOgre** , I say this assuming you are male (these days, you never know) – I am so glad I don’t have a penis, that sounds ghastly! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/27 "2010-09-19T17:22:00Z")
Scientifically addressing this **zombie** thread, let me note that capsaicin is what burns; on the way in, and on the way out if it is not properly broken down and digested. But capsaicin either gets broken down, or it stays in the digestive tract. It does not get significantly excreted by the kidneys (at least as far as a very few studies have shown), so won’t come out the urethra. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/28 "2010-09-19T19:22:43Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > …through a _catheter?_…owowowowowowowow!!! The one time I had one, it was inserted after they knocked me out (I was nine, major back surgery) but I remember the removal all too well! I’m left wondering how you could distinguish the burning from capsaicin from the burning of having a catheter shoved up there, which can’t be any fun judging by the removal. > > **FuzzyOgre** , I say this assuming you are male (these days, you never know) – I am so glad I don’t have a penis, that sounds ghastly! It wasnt a catheter, he just swabbed an inch deep or so into my penis. The swabbing was way worse than the burning whilst peeing. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/29 "2010-09-19T21:56:48Z")
I know, I meant the swabbing sounds horrid. You have my sympathy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/30 "2010-09-20T02:34:30Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I’ve had lots of spicy food of varying…spiciness (my family is South Asian) and I’ve NEVER had it burn when I took a crap. Ever. And I’ve never experienced the whole, “Spicy food gives you diarrhea/GI distress” thing. I always assumed it was just a UL. > [@Waffle\_Decider](#): > > FWIW, I’ve never experienced the “ring of fire” with spicy South and South East Asian food (My family is SE Asian). It does burn pretty badly with spicy Mexican food, however. I wonder if there are some differences in the food that affect how the body breaks it down. I also wonder if it’s maybe that you are used to the food, and so your body doesn’t have the same reaction. I know relatives who ate spicy food all the time growing up, and they have less dietary distress when consuming spicy foods than I do. But only the same type of spice they grew up on. Of course, correlation does not prove causation: it could even be the other way around–they ate spicy foods because they were less sensitive to them already. ---
**Author:** ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/31 "2010-09-20T02:59:18Z")
I can corroborate what FuzzyOgre says. I have definitely had cases where there’s a burning sensation going in, going out, and… going out. Especially when I use too much Dave’s Insanity sauce, or order my Thai food “Thai Hot”. Just this past week, in fact. I do have some digestive issues due to low pancreatic enzyme levels, so that might explain it to some degree, as I have issues breaking down fats, and capsaicin is fat-soluble. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/32 "2010-09-20T03:55:54Z")
Isn’t the OP the guy who asked about how fast you’d have to reverse the Earth’s rotation to go back in time, like Superman did? And then threw a hissyfit when everyone pointed out that it was just a movie? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/33 "2010-09-20T10:18:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Isn’t the OP the guy who asked about how fast you’d have to reverse the Earth’s rotation to go back in time, like Superman did? And then threw a hissyfit when everyone pointed out that it was just a movie? He really wanted to uneat that burrito. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/34 "2010-09-20T10:43:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Isn’t the OP the guy who asked about how fast you’d have to reverse the Earth’s rotation to go back in time, like Superman did? And then threw a hissyfit when everyone pointed out that it was just a movie? Shh. You need to ask that question in a PM. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/35 "2010-09-20T13:50:56Z")
> [@blueadpet](#): > > If you eat a very large amount of chili, which is becoming easier with the use of extremely hot chili peppers like the Bhut Jolokia and other Naga types, as well as hot sauces which have a very much higher concentration of capsaicin than “traditional” ingredients… I can personally confirm that it is quite possible to get enough capsaicin in urine to be very noticeable… however, it does not manifest as a burning sensation while urinating and I imagine that it would only be noticeable if you are un-circumcised since the foreskin traps a little urine against the glans which are more sensitive when not exposed by circumcision… The urethra is not very sensitive to capsaicin, but the glans are. The warming can be quite strong and lasts anything up to 5 minutes or more, but is not unpleasant IMO. Can this happen up to 8 years after you eat the chili? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/36 "2010-09-20T14:01:49Z")
This discussion reminds me of the story about a curry paste manufacturer that asked Johnny Cash’s estate if they could use his recording of the song “Ring of Fire” in their advertising. They couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/37 "2010-09-21T05:00:11Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > > [@Guinastasia](#): > > > > Isn’t the OP the guy who asked about how fast you’d have to reverse the Earth’s rotation to go back in time, like Superman did? And then threw a hissyfit when everyone pointed out that it was just a movie? > > Shh. You need to ask that question in a PM. Oh no you didn’t! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Guymitchell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@Guymitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guymitchell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/38 "2014-09-23T12:42:36Z")
I’ve been a chilli addict for some time now and have noticed burning sensations when passing urine on several occasions after particularly hot curries or eating raw chillies. I can feel it in the tubes and at the end of my penis. It doesn’t burn particularly painfully but it is certainly noticeable. I also have a friend who enters chilli eating competitions and he can testify that after eating very hot chillies, he has noticed a burning sensation when passing urine. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652/39 "2014-09-23T12:58:35Z")
> [@Guymitchell](#): > > I’ve been a chilli addict for some time now and have noticed burning sensations when passing urine on several occasions after **particularly hot curries** or eating raw chillies. I can feel it in the tubes and at the end of my penis. It doesn’t burn particularly painfully but it is certainly noticeable. As hinted upthread (and 12 years ago), that’s probably the ginger. I had it after eating _phaal_. And it WAS painful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-spicy-foods-burn-when-you-urinate/134652.md?page=1)