Ever had a burger that was to die for?
A man in Singapore was on the brink of a life-threatening health complication after completing a food eating challenge involving a hamburger.
The unnamed 30-year-old consumed the behemoth seven-pound burger in 30 minutes which put pressure on his intestines and stretched his stomach so much that it was at risk of bursting.
A burst stomach, known as gastric perforation, can kill within hours. If untreated, it can lead to sepsis and multi-organ failure.
The blockage kept him from passing gas or having a bowel movement and it took about five days after arriving at the hospital from doing so.
After performing a CT scan which showed undigested food in his stomach and the pressure on his organs, doctors inserted a tube through his nose to help drain it and reduce pressure, but the patient did not get better.
Just as doctors were considering surgery to remove the massive amount of food in his stomach, the patient began passing gas, indicating that his digestive system was beginning to catch up.
In the competition, the Singaporean man ate a seven-pound burger, stretching his stomach well beyond its 30 to 50-ounce capacity
The bizarre case was reported in the journal Gastroenterology.
The man chowed down on the burger in about thirty minutes, overwhelming his digestive system and stretching his stomach well beyond its 30 to 50-ounce capacity.
Stomach cleaning, the doctors’ method of sucking food out of the stomach, can be effective in reducing a swollen stomach if performed within 24 hours of an eating competition.
It breaks up large pieces of food into smaller bits that are easier to remove. However, surgical removal of the food might be necessary if the patient begins to show elevated levels of acid in the body.
If the stomach is stretched for too long, it can lead to poor blood flow and a potential stomach rupture.
Once the man began passing gas, other symptoms – an elevated white blood cell count and excess acid in the body because the kidneys were not functioning normally – were alleviated. After five days, he had a bowel movement and was able to go home.
Doctors said: ‘Rapid and gross gastric distension owing to the consumption of food items that are not chewed results in large chunks of solid food particles accumulating in the stomach, preventing food from entering the duodenum [first part of the small intestine].
‘The mass effect from the distended stomach worsens the condition by compressing the duodenum further. This effect could have resulted in the [severe inflammation of the pancreas] and acute kidney injury seen.’
In the figure on the left, CT scan showing an abrupt change in the size of the duodenum due to pressure from the distended stomach. In the figure on the right, a CT scan also shows the compression of the pancreas and displacement of the bowels to the left side of the abdomen
Despite the risks, successful eaters like Joey Chestnut earn fame and money, with a net worth of $4 million
In addition to stomach rupture, competitive eaters are at risk of intestinal ruptures, intestinal tissue death, and damage to the esophagi, as well as pneumonia that results from food, liquid, or vomit entering the lungs instead of the stomach.
Doctors who treated the man said: ‘Competitive eaters are known to be able to accommodate large quantities of food particles within their flaccid stomach sac conditioned by repeated rapid distension of the gastric wall during their gobbling episodes.’
There is no indication that the pan had practiced before the competition by repeated episodes of overeating to stretch the stomach, extend its capacity, and train the digestive system to process the food efficiently.
Japan is considered the birthplace of modern competitive eating , and South Korea has popularized mukbang (eating large amounts of food on camera), but the trend has swept through other Asian countries like Singapore and beyond.
Despite the risks, successful eaters like Joey Chestnut earn fame and money, with a net worth of $4 million.
In the end, the Singaporean man’s condition improved without surgery, but his case shows the serious risks of competitive eating.
While some competitors push their bodies to extreme limits for potential rewards and fame, the health risks can be significant.
