Hello and welcome to Zoe Shorts, the Bite Size podcast where we discuss one topic around

science and nutrition. I'm Jonathan Wolf and I'm joined by Dr. Will Bullsewitch and today's

subject is Diarrhea. Unfortunately it's something that all of us have wrestled with at one

time or another. And Will, I was going to say how urgent it is that we discuss this topic,

but actually in all seriousness when you have Diarrhea it's really not a laughing matter. And it's

also another one of these topics that I think that is embarrassing and no one ever talks about. So I

think Zoe bravely goes where other podcasts fear to tread. I'm glad we're talking about this,

Jonathan. Diarrhea is incredibly important and can be a real challenge to decide the best

course of action when you're suffering with it. Today I think we should talk about the health

risks associated with Diarrhea and its various treatments. I can't resist. Let's not hang around

then. Let's get into it. So let's set a scene that I think many of us will have experienced in

our lives. So let's say you're having a meal at a restaurant, you've ordered something spicier

than you normally eat. At the time that evening everything seems fine, but the next morning you find

yourself stuck on the toilet with these sort of loose watery stools. What's happening here Will?

Well, I mean we've all experienced this Jonathan at one time or another and it's put simply when

when you have Diarrhea it's because your intestines have been flooded with an abnormal amount of water.

There's a couple of ways this could happen. One is that you're not adequately absorbing the water

out of your intestines, but the second is that water is actually being pulled into the intestines

and therefore there's just too much of it there. So what is all sound in a bit like a chemistry

experiment? Can you help me to understand how that spicy meal IA which doesn't feel like it's

got a little water in it? Cause is me to have too much water in my intestines? Yeah, that's a good

question. So spicy meals actually contain a phytochemical called capsaicin and this is something that

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