Experts have warned of the deadly dangers of consuming overly spicy foods, saying that for high-risk people, chili peppers act like "a bomb in the stomach."
The ingredients in some pepper plants can cause blood vessels to narrow, significantly increasing blood pressure and heart rate, which increases the risk of heart attack.
According to Dr. Allan Capin, an emergency care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, this is a particular risk for people with enlarged hearts and congenital heart defects.
Dr. Capin's warning comes after a viral video emerged showing a young man collapsing after just one bite of the "world's hottest crab."
The video, which has been viewed over six million times on X, shows a man – identified only as Daniel – rushing out of The Bengal Village restaurant in East London, shortly after trying the dish.
The restaurant owner, Mr. Raj, is seen telling Daniel that he will recover quickly, advising him to drink a mango lassi.
The potential health risks from consuming extremely hot peppers come from high levels of capsaicin, the compound that gives them their heat.
While experts emphasize that it is rare to die from high levels of capsaicin, it is not impossible.
The latest video emerged two years after the shocking death of Massachusetts teenager Harris Wolobah, 14.
He suffered a fatal heart attack in September 2023 after eating a potato called the world's hottest as part of a social media challenge.
An autopsy showed that the student had an underlying heart condition, which was exacerbated by the large dose of capsaicin.
Dr. James Udelson, chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Center, previously said that a “significant stimulation of the heart,” for example from consuming very spicy foods, can cause abnormal blood flow and irregular heart rhythms.
"There have been reports of acute toxicity from capsaicin causing ischemia (abnormal blood flow) of the heart muscle," he added.
However, scientists are not sure how much capsaicin is enough to cause a fatal reaction, as this varies from individual to individual.
Spicy foods and ingredients are usually ranked according to what is called the Scoville Scale.
For example, 'Pepper X' – the world's hottest pepper – has about 2.7 million units on this scale. While the common jalapeno has only about 5,000 units.
Experts say there is no set point on the Scoville Scale where consumption becomes dangerous.
However, in general, the higher a product goes on this scale, the stronger the side effects – such as heartburn, digestive problems and potentially fatal heart disorders.
There are documented cases where people have been hospitalized – for example, a man who had eaten at least four peppers that were rated at around one million Scoville units.
Experts generally advise avoiding spicy sauces that are promoted as "the hottest in the world."
Some of the most prominent sauces for danger are:
The Last Dab Experience
The End: Flatline
(both available on Amazon)
More than 90 percent of The Last Dab Xperience's ingredients include dried, fresh, or distilled Pepper X.
Meanwhile, The End: Flatline features a straight ECG (flatline) on the label – a signal indicating the heart has stopped beating.
Its description says: “This is a warning, and a real warning – not like some of our funny warnings on other sauces. This is our hottest sauce ever.”
Experts have previously warned about overly spicy foods, especially after people posted videos on TikTok eating extremely hot peppers.
A video from @Ramizeinn, with 16.3 million followers, shows him eating some ghost chillies, before drinking a carton of milk and looking clearly in pain.
In another video, from @peteypappi (658,000 followers), two people attempt to eat very hot peppers, but give up mid-challenge.
Dr. Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University in Birmingham, warned that consuming these peppers could cause digestive problems and, in extreme cases, increase the risk of cancer.
This is because spicy foods are known to cause acid reflux – when stomach acid flows up into the throat.
“If this continues for a long time, it can cause changes in the esophagus and increase the risk of cancer,” said Dr. Mellor.
This was also the conclusion of a 2022 study, which found that high consumption of spicy foods may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. /GazetaExpress/
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