10 Myths About Stomach Pain You’ve Believed in for Years Debunked For You

Last Updated on 2023-03-23 , 3:01 pm

Stomach aches can be a real pain. Literally. Just like how marriage is literally the cause of divorce, food and habits can be the cause of intense bowel suffering.

Here are some myths and facts concerning the truth behind stomach aches.

1. Eating cold fruits together with hot meals (Myth)

Last evening, I had extra spicy Maggi curry for dinner and I ate some watermelon to take the heat away. It was then my mother told me not to do that or I will get indigestion and subsequently have diarrhoea.

Until now, I am still waiting for diarrhoea to come and relieve me of my constipation.

2. Sleeping after a meal (Myth)

According to a Japanese superstition, sleeping after a meal will turn you to become a bull.

This is because digestion slows down during naps and a person waking from a post-meal nap can would feel lethargic, heavy, and even cranky, which appears as though the person is transforming into a mean-tempered bull.

3. Eating shrimp and vitamin C (Myth)

Rather than indigestion, many believe that consuming shrimp and vitamin C can cause fatal arsenic poisoning.

However, this is untrue as scientists have proven that there is no way for shrimp and vitamin C to chemically react in the human body and produce enough arsenic to kill.

4. Eating too fast (Fact)

There are times when you wolfed down your food quickly because you are either too hungry or in a rush and  your mother told you to slow down or you will have a stomach ache.

Actually, she is right as eating fast causes the stomach to be unable to regulate its acid levels for proper digestion. Also, eating fast causes you to take in additional air that will be expelled through belching, giving the impression of indigestion.

5. Moving around while/after eating can cause appendicitis (Myth)

Surely there were a number of times when your mother warned you not to run about after your meal or you will get appendicitis.

While scientists know that appendicitis is caused by foreign objects entering the appendix, they are not sure how it came about. Even though the vigorous activity may not cause appendicitis, it may discomfort to your stomach.

6. Spicy food (Myth)

There are some, like me, for example, would experience a glowing warmth in the stomach and then a harrowing ordeal in the toilet after just one McSpicy before concluding that spicy food causes both indigestion and diarrhoea.

In fact, spicy food aids in digestion. However, it is the overconsumption of it or the body being unused to capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the spiciness) that caused it to react badly.

7. Drinking cold water (Myth)

The “boy/girl ah! Don’t drink cold water! Later you get a stomachache!” warning from parents is something most of us grew up with. When we asked our parents why not, they would either reply stomach pains stem from a cold stomach or that cold water will solidify fats in the stomach and cause painful indigestion.

Actually, the temperature of any food or drink would quickly adapt to the body’s internal temperature and cold drinks do not solidify fats.

8. Stress (Fact)

Stress would either cause one to binge or not eat at all. Such irregularity in food intake means there is either too little or excessive gastric juice, which results in bloating or erosion of the stomach walls and both would result in some form of discomfort.

9. Eating Soy Milk and Egg (Fact)

Bodybuilders are all about training, eating clean, and having a good supply of protein.

Although soy milk and eggs are great sources of protein and other essential nutrients, consuming them together can reduce the protease activity, which slows down the body’s ability to absorb the protein.

Take heed or waste your precious muscle-building goodness.

10. Eating Habits (Fact)

The belief of having three solid meals a day might probably cause many of us to overeat for one meal and affect our digestion. Instead, we are advised to have more but smaller meals throughout the day.

This allows us to regulate our blood sugar level, keep our energy up, and have an excuse to make regular visits to the office pantry. And if you have healthy midday snacks, such eating habits can help in weight loss too!