I’ve searched google in English and can find absolutely no evidence for this but when I do it in Japanese everyone treats it as a matter of course. Is there any evidence in Japanese or English for/against this? I think it sounds ridiculous.
Tbf im Filipino and we say the same, and i have experienced it 🥲.
Something about cold restricting blood flow, from what I’ve been told.
Every country has superstitions and old wives’ tales with no scientific proof that people present as fact.
[deleted]
I don’t know if there is any scientific evidence for it. But actually do agree that old saying. Like waking into a cold section at supermarket or a room that AC on really high makes my stomach hurt/ makes me want to shit.
You should try the Hong Kong business meeting experience where you arrive dead by the heat only to be served with a glass of warm water…
Personal anedcote, whenever i get the runs my stomach gets pretty cold, applying heat to it provides relief, usually using medicated oil or a warm water bottle.
Probably has something historically to do with cold standing water being unsafe to drink. Boiled water is much safer.
I’m french and when i wore short tops or didn’t button my coat, my mother used to tell me the same – in a more elegant way (“close your coat, if your belly gets cold you’ll get a bellyache”).
My stomach gets cold when I exercise, especially running but I’ve never correlated it to the runs. 🏃♀️
Because your stomach only functions properly when its warm.
If you shock your stomach with ice cold water throughout a whole meal you will have diarrhea. Stomach needs to move and grind food. Very cold water will make it seize up.
This is common sense to me.
Please don’t be one of those people who need a scientific quotation to believe in things. This is generational wisdom and not something “the science” will tell you. Western culture lost that 10 generations ago. We never did.
If you have a strong stomach this might not apply to you.
All 15 of you who downvoted or had something incredibly grimy to say, read the article provided by another commentor. OP approved it and I’m sure you can too. I’d like to see western people who clearly did not have generational wisdom to receive from your parents show humility going forwards.
Weird! Because I get diarrhea without my stomach getting cold.
Because that is where your soul is located.
Put your haramaki back on, before it’s too late!
Italians believe the same thing. There’s an old wives tale about “Il colpo d’aria” where a blast of cold air can cause anything from a sore throat to diarrhea. My Italian father-in-law once told me the cheap and effective way to cure constipation during winter was to lift up your shirt and expose your tummy to the frosty air.
This is something my SO and I are constantly butting heads over. Never does manage to explain why cold drinks are verboten while something like ice cream is fine, mind you.
Assuming there is a link, I’d say it’s just as likely to be psychosomatic as anything physical.
Every time I have stomach ache my boyfriend tells me to drink hot water. Don’t ask me why but it works hahaha. I only hear that in Asian culture. In my country we don’t drink hot water for stomach aches.
Modern medicine still doesn’t fully understand human body so there is no reliable source to know for sure, As long as it’s not harming I don’t see the point of talking about it.
i’m a croat and we say this too. if you’re sitting on cold concrete/tiles/ground or if you’re drinking or eating too much cold stuff.
I’m mongolia my mom would always say “it’s chilly make sure your stomach’s not chilly” and i didn’t understand why until i let a chilly air into my shirt and shorty after i had horrible nausea, and stomachache out of nowhere where my stomach got cold
Peruvian here. We say the same.
I live with a Japanese person who is constantly worried about her stomach getting cold. Even in summer. It kind of annoys me, especially when she blames me for allowing her to get her stomach cold.
I talked about this with a physician I know and he said that that external factors like ambient temperature are very unlikely to change the temperature of your internal organs to any extent where you will start to feel sick. Your body regulates the temperature of your organs pretty well. Your stomach may get cold due to you being sick, but the opposite is not likely.
So I guess this is just some old nihonjinron BS. There is no good evidence in either Japanese or English when you search the web. Only “alternative” health websites that simply repeat the claim and then try to sell you supplements to prevent it. I still see a lot of old guys wearing their haramaki, worried about getting their stomach cold.
Some Japanese people say it’s from the notion of “冷えは万病のもと” (being cold is the origin of all disease) in traditional Chinese medicine.
This makes sense that they would say something like that, as if you look at kampoyaku traditional medicine shops, they always claim that their products help keep you warm, improve blood flow, or prevent tiredness; all things that are completely subjective and can easily be due to the placebo effect.
Japanese people are really vulnerable to the cold. People be acting like their in the Antarctic at 24 degrees C.
This type of belief is based on traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine (TCM or Kampo in Japan). In simple terms, cold/raw foods or drinks damage the digestive fire (digestive tract) and lead to all kinds of health problems including diarrhea. It’s very common in Asian countries, especially in China to drink warm water throughout the day and to keep your abdominal area warm to support your digestive health.
Because superstitions are regurgitated without any fact checking or critical thought.
Be careful! Staying out in the rain causes colds!
Falling asleep under the kotatsu causes colds!
Going outside with wet hair causes colds!
I have severe IBS which causes me to have recurring flare ups of diarrhea along with other unpleasant symptoms. I have been told by specialists that drinking or eating cold things will make my symptoms worse.
There have been studies done to determine what effect temperature has on IBS. [This](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16741609/) is one such study. They concluded that ice water makes diarrhea worse and warm water has no positive or negative effect on diarrhea
It’s the case with many cultures because of how cold temperature can upset the stomach.
When your body is cold for whatever reason, many parts of your body will start tensing up, contract, and slow down. In this case, abs and the stomach. So if your stomach is cold, it CAN give you an upset stomach with slower digestive system and contracting muscles, which CAN give you diarrhea.
When you have an upset stomach, you can feel better by warming it up with a hot drink, which relaxes the muscles and get the digestive system going again.
​
Similarly in Korea, there’s this “Mom’s hand is medicine” thing where mom rubs the upset stomach of the child and makes it all better.
Taking a step back, we can look for an overall picture on being cold affecting our body. IMO this is the core idea behind the cold tummy topic. The best explanation I could find regarding this was from the Tokushima Medical Association suggesting it’s a difference in eastern vs western medicine.
I just skimmed through these. But hey, at least there is some science being done, not sure how good the science is as it’s out of my brain league.
It’s also notable that science does back up poor blood flow causing digestive issues including diarrhea. So, I carefully say, maybe some of it adds up?
Because cold stomach=indigestion cos heat is required for proper digestion ! Else trying for yourself would be the best bet !
::Fan death laughs from the corner, lurking to strike::
Also apparently if you sneeze it means you are cold so whenever my mother in law sneezes, I ask her if she’s cold, even when we are outside and it’s 35c
Why do westerners think you’ll catch a cold in cold weather?
We all have medical folkloric superstitions, this is just a japanese one.
Just people being idiots. Happens everywhere. I get accused of paying too much attention to abdominal pain—when I have two serious abdominal diseases—while the same people freak the fuck out over dumbass superstitions like this. Bonus points if they distrust actual doctors. The cognitive dissonance and general ignorance pushes my patience with these types of people.
Tell you the truth, I had no problems with the cold until I met my ex Japanese wife. It may be bacterial.
While we’re on the subject, it’s always puzzled me why diarrhoea seems to be regarded as such a common thing here. Back home, it’s something that generally happens to you once or twice a year, in conjunction with an illness or clear case of food poisoning.
Meanwhile, people seem to face it on a monthly or even weekly basis here. Could it be the fabled Japanese bowel length?
Japanese people also say that the age of consent is 13, so take it with a enormous, giant, and folkelorically huge grain of salt.
Because it’s readily observable fact?
When I go from an air conditioned building to the summer outdoor, I need to use the toilet because the sudden change in temperature upsets my stomach
That’s Big Haramaki for you. They’re like DeBeers.
A prolonged period of being very cold can absolutely cause diarrhea, I’ve experienced this from numerous winter hikes. “Keeping the stomach warm” means keeping your core temperature up, that’s all. And yes that will prevent bouts of diarrhea caused by being very cold for a long time.
Not having Slurpees at 7-11 (and I) coupled with the heat in Japan has melted much common sense away.
I can tell you from experience (a Canadian who loves everything cold) that this is ridiculous.
Ridiculousとか言わないで…ガチだから… I am the evidence, or [this](https://www.biofermin.co.jp/chokatsu_navi/article/040.php). I get diarrhea all the time whenever I get slightly sweaty and the sweat gets cold. Many of my friends get that too.
41 comments
Tbf im Filipino and we say the same, and i have experienced it 🥲.
Something about cold restricting blood flow, from what I’ve been told.
Every country has superstitions and old wives’ tales with no scientific proof that people present as fact.
[deleted]
I don’t know if there is any scientific evidence for it. But actually do agree that old saying. Like waking into a cold section at supermarket or a room that AC on really high makes my stomach hurt/ makes me want to shit.
You should try the Hong Kong business meeting experience where you arrive dead by the heat only to be served with a glass of warm water…
Personal anedcote, whenever i get the runs my stomach gets pretty cold, applying heat to it provides relief, usually using medicated oil or a warm water bottle.
Probably has something historically to do with cold standing water being unsafe to drink. Boiled water is much safer.
I’m french and when i wore short tops or didn’t button my coat, my mother used to tell me the same – in a more elegant way (“close your coat, if your belly gets cold you’ll get a bellyache”).
>I’ve searched google in English
First entry if you search in Japanese:
[https://www.suzu-cli.jp/about_disease/942/](https://www.suzu-cli.jp/about_disease/942/)
My stomach gets cold when I exercise, especially running but I’ve never correlated it to the runs. 🏃♀️
Because your stomach only functions properly when its warm.
If you shock your stomach with ice cold water throughout a whole meal you will have diarrhea. Stomach needs to move and grind food. Very cold water will make it seize up.
This is common sense to me.
Please don’t be one of those people who need a scientific quotation to believe in things. This is generational wisdom and not something “the science” will tell you. Western culture lost that 10 generations ago. We never did.
If you have a strong stomach this might not apply to you.
EDIT:
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16741609/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16741609/)
All 15 of you who downvoted or had something incredibly grimy to say, read the article provided by another commentor. OP approved it and I’m sure you can too. I’d like to see western people who clearly did not have generational wisdom to receive from your parents show humility going forwards.
Weird! Because I get diarrhea without my stomach getting cold.
Because that is where your soul is located.
Put your haramaki back on, before it’s too late!
Italians believe the same thing. There’s an old wives tale about “Il colpo d’aria” where a blast of cold air can cause anything from a sore throat to diarrhea. My Italian father-in-law once told me the cheap and effective way to cure constipation during winter was to lift up your shirt and expose your tummy to the frosty air.
This is something my SO and I are constantly butting heads over. Never does manage to explain why cold drinks are verboten while something like ice cream is fine, mind you.
Assuming there is a link, I’d say it’s just as likely to be psychosomatic as anything physical.
Every time I have stomach ache my boyfriend tells me to drink hot water.
Don’t ask me why but it works hahaha. I only hear that in Asian culture. In my country we don’t drink hot water for stomach aches.
Modern medicine still doesn’t fully understand human body so there is no reliable source to know for sure, As long as it’s not harming I don’t see the point of talking about it.
i’m a croat and we say this too. if you’re sitting on cold concrete/tiles/ground or if you’re drinking or eating too much cold stuff.
I’m mongolia my mom would always say “it’s chilly make sure your stomach’s not chilly” and i didn’t understand why until i let a chilly air into my shirt and shorty after i had horrible nausea, and stomachache out of nowhere where my stomach got cold
Peruvian here. We say the same.
I live with a Japanese person who is constantly worried about her stomach getting cold. Even in summer. It kind of annoys me, especially when she blames me for allowing her to get her stomach cold.
I talked about this with a physician I know and he said that that external factors like ambient temperature are very unlikely to change the temperature of your internal organs to any extent where you will start to feel sick. Your body regulates the temperature of your organs pretty well. Your stomach may get cold due to you being sick, but the opposite is not likely.
So I guess this is just some old nihonjinron BS. There is no good evidence in either Japanese or English when you search the web. Only “alternative” health websites that simply repeat the claim and then try to sell you supplements to prevent it. I still see a lot of old guys wearing their haramaki, worried about getting their stomach cold.
Some Japanese people say it’s from the notion of “冷えは万病のもと” (being cold is the origin of all disease) in traditional Chinese medicine.
This makes sense that they would say something like that, as if you look at kampoyaku traditional medicine shops, they always claim that their products help keep you warm, improve blood flow, or prevent tiredness; all things that are completely subjective and can easily be due to the placebo effect.
Japanese people are really vulnerable to the cold. People be acting like their in the Antarctic at 24 degrees C.
This type of belief is based on traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine (TCM or Kampo in Japan). In simple terms, cold/raw foods or drinks damage the digestive fire (digestive tract) and lead to all kinds of health problems including diarrhea. It’s very common in Asian countries, especially in China to drink warm water throughout the day and to keep your abdominal area warm to support your digestive health.
Because superstitions are regurgitated without any fact checking or critical thought.
Be careful! Staying out in the rain causes colds!
Falling asleep under the kotatsu causes colds!
Going outside with wet hair causes colds!
I have severe IBS which causes me to have recurring flare ups of diarrhea along with other unpleasant symptoms. I have been told by specialists that drinking or eating cold things will make my symptoms worse.
There have been studies done to determine what effect temperature has on IBS. [This](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16741609/) is one such study. They concluded that ice water makes diarrhea worse and warm water has no positive or negative effect on diarrhea
It’s the case with many cultures because of how cold temperature can upset the stomach.
When your body is cold for whatever reason, many parts of your body will start tensing up, contract, and slow down. In this case, abs and the stomach. So if your stomach is cold, it CAN give you an upset stomach with slower digestive system and contracting muscles, which CAN give you diarrhea.
When you have an upset stomach, you can feel better by warming it up with a hot drink, which relaxes the muscles and get the digestive system going again.
​
Similarly in Korea, there’s this “Mom’s hand is medicine” thing where mom rubs the upset stomach of the child and makes it all better.
Taking a step back, we can look for an overall picture on being cold affecting our body. IMO this is the core idea behind the cold tummy topic. The best explanation I could find regarding this was from the Tokushima Medical Association suggesting it’s a difference in eastern vs western medicine.
“西洋医学では冷え症は病気ではないので、温める薬というのはほとんどありません。
これに対し東洋医学では、冷えは頭痛や肩こり、関節の痛みやしびれ、便秘、下痢、いらいらや不眠など、いろいろな症状の原因と考えますので、温める漢方薬はたくさんあります”
https://www.tokushima.med.or.jp/infono5/shouni/175.htm
In addition, one study on the topic:
“Physiological Mechanism of Hiesho ―Evaluation by Cardiovascular and Autonomic Dynamics―”
Suggests: “女性の多くが冷えの自覚やそれに伴う不眠、肩こり、便秘などの付随症状に悩まされる…”
Also, the paper suggests that the underlying cause of 冷え性 could be bad blood flow, or some other nervous system issue.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jsnas/15/3/15_227/_pdf
I just skimmed through these. But hey, at least there is some science being done, not sure how good the science is as it’s out of my brain league.
It’s also notable that science does back up poor blood flow causing digestive issues including diarrhea. So, I carefully say, maybe some of it adds up?
Because cold stomach=indigestion cos heat is required for proper digestion ! Else trying for yourself would be the best bet !
::Fan death laughs from the corner, lurking to strike::
Also apparently if you sneeze it means you are cold so whenever my mother in law sneezes, I ask her if she’s cold, even when we are outside and it’s 35c
Why do westerners think you’ll catch a cold in cold weather?
We all have medical folkloric superstitions, this is just a japanese one.
Just people being idiots. Happens everywhere. I get accused of paying too much attention to abdominal pain—when I have two serious abdominal diseases—while the same people freak the fuck out over dumbass superstitions like this. Bonus points if they distrust actual doctors. The cognitive dissonance and general ignorance pushes my patience with these types of people.
Tell you the truth, I had no problems with the cold until I met my ex Japanese wife. It may be bacterial.
While we’re on the subject, it’s always puzzled me why diarrhoea seems to be regarded as such a common thing here. Back home, it’s something that generally happens to you once or twice a year, in conjunction with an illness or clear case of food poisoning.
Meanwhile, people seem to face it on a monthly or even weekly basis here. Could it be the fabled Japanese bowel length?
Japanese people also say that the age of consent is 13, so take it with a enormous, giant, and folkelorically huge grain of salt.
Because it’s readily observable fact?
When I go from an air conditioned building to the summer outdoor, I need to use the toilet because the sudden change in temperature upsets my stomach
That’s Big Haramaki for you. They’re like DeBeers.
A prolonged period of being very cold can absolutely cause diarrhea, I’ve experienced this from numerous winter hikes. “Keeping the stomach warm” means keeping your core temperature up, that’s all. And yes that will prevent bouts of diarrhea caused by being very cold for a long time.
Not having Slurpees at 7-11 (and I) coupled with the heat in Japan has melted much common sense away.
I can tell you from experience (a Canadian who loves everything cold) that this is ridiculous.
Ridiculousとか言わないで…ガチだから…
I am the evidence, or [this](https://www.biofermin.co.jp/chokatsu_navi/article/040.php).
I get diarrhea all the time whenever I get slightly sweaty and the sweat gets cold. Many of my friends get that too.