Can eating hot food upset your stomach?

[Twinbird24]

Can eating hot food (by this I mean high temperature, NOT spicy) cause upset stomach? I'm asking this because I've been told after eating a "hot" meal to drink lots of water because the hot food may upset my stomach... I've never had an upset stomach from eating hot food so I'm not sure why or how it could even cause any problems with my stomach (the food isn't too hot to begin with as I'm able to chew it and swallow it without pain).

Edited August 1, 2013 by Twinbird24

[Iwonderaboutthings]

Can eating hot food (by this I mean high temperature, NOT spicy) cause upset stomach? I'm asking this because I've been told after eating a "hot" meal to drink lots of water because the hot food may upset my stomach... I've never had an upset stomach from eating hot food so I'm not sure why or how it could even cause any problems with my stomach (the food isn't too hot to begin with as I'm able to chew it and swallow it without pain).

Not sure if this could answer your question.

 

But I think prolonged heat rather ingested or not around the " stomach area" in general may cause some discomfort . I am no doctor, however once I had my lap-top on my stomach while laying flat down on the floor studying and could feel the warmth of the lap-top's bottom on my "ie" stomach area.

 

About two weeks later I started to developed very very strong stomach cramps! Very painful ones...

 

I did not see a doctor for this, however I never did this again and never will! The cramps eventually went away. I believe also it could have been electro magnetic fields from the lap top that are also associated with heat.

 

On another note:

 

There are some cultures however that practice drinking warm water after meals. The reason for this is because "cold" water tends to harden oil molecules of food within the walls of the stomach and intestinal tract thus leading to cholesterol issues later in life.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Iwonderaboutthings

[Phi for All]

Can eating hot food (by this I mean high temperature, NOT spicy) cause upset stomach? I'm asking this because I've been told after eating a "hot" meal to drink lots of water because the hot food may upset my stomach... I've never had an upset stomach from eating hot food so I'm not sure why or how it could even cause any problems with my stomach (the food isn't too hot to begin with as I'm able to chew it and swallow it without pain).

 

The process seems to require testing against the soft tissue in the mouth before swallowing. I would imagine that any food hot enough to burn your mouth might have a bad effect if you swallowed it anyway. I've burned my mouth on food but never swallowed it while it was that hot. There may be a mechanism similar to the gag reflex that keeps you from being able to swallow food that would burn your esophagus and stomach, but I've never tested it before.

 

I am no doctor, however once I had my lap-top on my stomach while laying flat down on the floor studying and could feel the warmth of the lap-top's bottom on my "ie" stomach area.

 

About two weeks later I started to developed very very strong stomach cramps! Very painful ones...

 

I did not see a doctor for this, however I never did this again and never will! The cramps eventually went away. I believe also it could have been electro magnetic fields from the lap top that are also associated with heat.

 

It's unlikely that the heat caused cramping of the muscles in your stomach, but I say this only because heat seems to make most muscle groups relax rather than cramp up. Same with EM fields, they really aren't a mechanism for the symptoms you describe. Why would they affect stomach muscles and not leg muscles when the computer is on your lap?

 

When you consider the two week time lapse between events, it seems more likely that something else was the cause of these cramps. Food poisoning or some sort of food intolerance may be culpable, since it sounds like there was no recurrence. There are many other possible reasons why your stomach was hurting, but most would have had more than a single instance.

[Iwonderaboutthings]

 

The process seems to require testing against the soft tissue in the mouth before swallowing. I would imagine that any food hot enough to burn your mouth might have a bad effect if you swallowed it anyway. I've burned my mouth on food but never swallowed it while it was that hot. There may be a mechanism similar to the gag reflex that keeps you from being able to swallow food that would burn your esophagus and stomach, but I've never tested it before.

 

 

It's unlikely that the heat caused cramping of the muscles in your stomach, but I say this only because heat seems to make most muscle groups relax rather than cramp up. Same with EM fields, they really aren't a mechanism for the symptoms you describe. Why would they affect stomach muscles and not leg muscles when the computer is on your lap?

 

When you consider the two week time lapse between events, it seems more likely that something else was the cause of these cramps. Food poisoning or some sort of food intolerance may be culpable, since it sounds like there was no recurrence. There are many other possible reasons why your stomach was hurting, but most would have had more than a single instance.

The lap top was on my "stomach" and I was laying flat on the floor with a pillow over my head in this position.

Do you think that some people can be intolerant of any sort of heat???

 

I used to place warm pads on my stomach some time back just because it felt good, I always bath in nice hot water, I have a thing for warm things, but maybe some people's bodies can work backwards?

I know for one I cannot stand the cold! BUT! I love seeing the snow, its is incredible to see..

[Delbert]

When eating hot food I'd be just as concerned about the oesophagus. Seem to recall someone consuming a cold drink and having to have a large part of their oesophagus removed. I think they had serious problems with their stomach as well, but the oesophagus was hit first. Doubtless hot food, too hot food, will have a similar effect.

 

I think one purpose of the sensing tissue at the periphery of the boat-race orifice is an immigration check for incoming items. I think one survival technique for testing food is to firstly rub a bit on one's lips. If it stings after due process of relevant time, it might be saver to look elsewhere for food. So, if it's too hot for the lips, it's too hot, I'd say.

[Phi for All]

When eating hot food I'd be just as concerned about the oesophagus. Seem to recall someone consuming a cold drink and having to have a large part of their oesophagus removed. I think they had serious problems with their stomach as well, but the oesophagus was hit first. Doubtless hot food, too hot food, will have a similar effect.

 

It's hard to imagine any water-based drink that could be cold enough to still flow and do that kind of damage to the esophagus. I wonder if it wasn't mostly alcohol chilled to a much lower freezing point than water.

 

I think one purpose of the sensing tissue at the periphery of the boat-race orifice is an immigration check for incoming items. I think one survival technique for testing food is to firstly rub a bit on one's lips. If it stings after due process of relevant time, it might be saver to look elsewhere for food. So, if it's too hot for the lips, it's too hot, I'd say.

 

Since we're the only animal that cooks its food, I wonder if we've developed any other evolutionary traits that help us deal with hot food. I like the lip-testing concept. The lips are tougher but more sensitive than the tissue in the mouth and esophagus, and make a good guide for what will burn and what won't.

 

I would imagine there must be an upper limit to how hot most common foods get. You may cook meat at 500F, but chances are you're not going to take the meat itself much past 200F without destroying it.

 

The lap top was on my "stomach" and I was laying flat on the floor with a pillow over my head in this position.

The emphasis and the emoticon allude to a misunderstanding on my part, but I still say the warmth would be unlikely to make any muscles cramp up. I avoided questioning the whole "laptop on my stomach" vs "pillow over my head" dichotomy, and will defend that decision rigorously. I sense there is still much I don't know about your "stomach" .

 

Do you think that some people can be intolerant of any sort of heat???

 

I used to place warm pads on my stomach some time back just because it felt good, I always bath in nice hot water, I have a thing for warm things, but maybe some people's bodies can work backwards?

I know for one I cannot stand the cold! BUT! I love seeing the snow, its is incredible to see..

Absolutely, but you don't sound like one of them.

 

I don't want to deviate too much farther from the OP, but there are gender-specific problems that can cause cramping of the stomach in women. That may not be the case with you, but it deserves a mention.

[John Cuthber]

I strongly suspect that, in general, once food has been chewed it's cool enough to eat without any problems.

I also suspect that "an upset stomach" is the most common psychosomatic problem recorded/ repotrted.

[Delbert]

 

It's hard to imagine any water-based drink that could be cold enough to still flow and do that kind of damage to the esophagus. I wonder if it wasn't mostly alcohol chilled to a much lower freezing point than water.

I seem to recall it was some sort of cocktail in involving a liquefied gas. I also seem to recall that the individual has to spend the rest of her life being fed through a tube in her abdomen.

 

I've lost the sensation of surprise at what some people will do for a reason that I'm totally unable to fathom.

I strongly suspect that, in general, once food has been chewed it's cool enough to eat without any problems.

I also suspect that "an upset stomach" is the most common psychosomatic problem recorded/ repotrted.

Surely, if one can manage to chew it, it must already be an acceptable temperature?

[doG]

Two thoughts come to mind:

 

1. The stomach is full of acid and hot acid could be more reactive with certain food stuffs than others. Gases produced by these foods could cause more digestive discomfort than with other foods.

 

2. I personally like certain soups and stews scalding hot, so hot that I have to be careful how I eat them so as not to scald my mouth. They have a much stronger flavor when eaten like this because it seems my taste buds open more and become more sensitive. With each bite I find there is a limit as to how long I can keep them in my mouth and I have to swallow them before my mouth burns. The tissues beyond don't seem to be as sensitive to the heat because this causes me no noticeable discomfort even though they are hot enough to scald the tissues in my mouth. None of these foods ever seem to cause me any stomach discomfort so for me I cannot say that hot foods ever cause an upset stomach.

 

I should probably mention as well that my stomach's conditioning is not average. I routinely eat extremely spicy foods as a chilihead. I routinely eat peppers that others handle with gloves so it is evident that the tissues in my digestive tract have an accumulated tolerance to conditions that could cause great discomfort in others. I do not know to what extent this affects my tolerance to high temperature foods but I suspect that it probably has some effect as opposed to none at all. It is rare for me to ever have an upset stomach from anything I eat and yet I know people that have to take regularly prescribed digestive medications to prevent regular stomach upset. These makes me think that some people probably have a personal physiology that could make them more susceptible to high temperature foods than I am.

[CharonY]

I seem to recall it was some sort of cocktail in involving a liquefied gas. I also seem to recall that the individual has to spend the rest of her life being fed through a tube in her abdomen.

 

I've lost the sensation of surprise at what some people will do for a reason that I'm totally unable to fathom.

Surely, if one can manage to chew it, it must already be an acceptable temperature?

 

 

I believe what you have read has involved liquid nitrogen http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/birthday-cocktail-proves-deadly-18-year-old-article-1.1177421

Most likely badly processed.

But for food that has been prepared with traditional means I would agree with the posters that damages would be mostly to mouth and esophagus. I.e. for something that is sufficiently hot to damage the stomach, it would also be damaging to mouth and esophagus.

[Twinbird24]

Thanks for all the information and feedback