Joey Chestnut has claimed his 18th victory at the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, but there are serious health warnings associated with competitive eating.
Gorging on 66 hot dogs isn’t just a challenge to stomach; it comes with potential health risks.
While some immediate digestive distress might be expected, the real issues could be far more severe.
Chestnut emerged victorious at Coney Island, earning a $10,000 prize, though he didn’t surpass his personal best of 76 hot dogs. Yet, this achievement could come at a high cost.
Dr. Lee Fong, a senior clinical director at Hunter Primary Care and member of the Hunter Association of GPs, has highlighted the associated risks for those who engage in competitive eating.
For those who may not be aware, competitive eating involves consuming large quantities of food quickly, often with minimal chewing.
Participants frequently drink excessive amounts of water to help swallow unchewed food.
This practice can have dangerous consequences.
“For professional eaters, often they’re training to distend their stomachs, and they’re using lots of water to do that,” Dr. Fong explained to ABC.
He cautioned that this behavior ‘could lead to potentially fatal water intoxication’, a condition arising from consuming too much water rapidly.
And that’s not the only concern.
Dr. Fong elaborated that the constant over-stretching of the stomach could cause ‘gastroparesis, which can, in turn, lead to chronic nausea and vomiting’.
The risks are even greater for those who participate in such activities infrequently.
Dr. Fong remarked: “You’re distending the stomach … and if your stomach is not used to it, then I think you’ve got a greater risk of perforation.
“Especially if, for example, you’ve already got an area of your stomach that’s weak because, you’ve got an undiagnosed stomach ulcer.”
“Another thing that can happen, especially if you’re not used to it, if you eat a lot, you might vomit,” he added. “If you vomit you risk tearing your oesophagus or your food pipe.”
Moreover, there’s the risk of aspirating vomit into the airway, which can be deadly, as it could lead to drowning in one’s own vomit.
In 2023, a tragic incident occurred when 37-year-old Natalie Buss collapsed and died after participating in a marshmallow eating contest in Wales.
There was also a case where a man fatally choked on a donut during a competition aimed at winning free sweets by eating them rapidly.
Dr. Fong emphasizes that choking is the leading cause of death in these contests.
“It just doesn’t seem like it’s worth dying for, and there’s been numerous accounts of people dying in these sorts of competitions,” he stated.