Wacky Facts by Agent K #7: Did You Ever Wonder Why Spicy Foods Burn On the "Way In" and the "Way Out"?

You have probably noticed that every time you eat spicy foods, the next morning you have a really unpleasant and "burning" experience in the bathroom. Of course, if you love spicy foods then you most likely enjoy the "way in" experience as the burning turns on your palate. Unfortunately, you can't say the same for the burning experience during the "way out" course of action, no?  Nobody likes to poop fire; or almost nobody!

But why does this happen? Did you ever wonder? 

The Menu of the Day 

According to Dr. Jeremy Teman, an evolutionary biologist from Staten Island University Hospital, the answer is pretty simple: our rectum and anus are lined with cells similar to the ones in our mouth. " The formation of primitive gut is one of the first stages of development. After some initial cell replication from the zygote, we begin as a hollow ball of cells. An area that will eventually become our anus on that ball folds inward (invaginates) and stretches all the way across to the other side creating a new opening. This new opening is the primitive mouth," he says and warns that you should be very careful who you pick to kiss. 

It makes sense, doesn't it? 

Please...Explain It Scientifically To Me 

Nobody likes to be called an asshole, right? However, truth is that we have all been assholes at some point in our lives. Literally and metaphorically. Well, kind of!  See, both the interior of the mouth and the anal canal are made of non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. Interestingly, our lips are made of thin keratinized squamous epithelium. 

Alright, alright, in case the scientific details above don't make any sense to you, all I am trying to say is that our mouth and our anus are made by pretty much the same material. In other words, our lips and our anus are the two ends of the pipe called the "Alimentary Canal."

Well, in case you feel a little disgusted right now, just keep in mind that things could be even worse. You could be a giant sea cucumber and use for both nutrition and waste the same hole. So now that I am thinking about it, we really have the less disgusting of the two options, don't we? 

References:

 Why Your Poop Burns after Eating Spicy Foods | Men's Health

 Lip skin same as butt hole - What Does the Doctor Say? - HealthTap

 Tissue engineering of lips and muco-cutaneous junctions: in vitro ...

 Giant Sea Cucumber Eats With Its Anus – National Geographic Blog

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