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Teen’s death after eating a single chip highlights risks of ultra-spicy foods
- A_D_E_P_T 3y ago> The Paqui chip was seasoned with the Carolina Reaper pepper, the current hottest pepper in the world, and the Naga Viper pepper, which was the reigning hottest pepper in 2011 but is now merely among the top 10. Apparently the Carolina Reaper has a capsaicin content of around 100mg/g [1] -- and each one weighs around 5 grams. 500mg capsaicin is a hell of a lot to take in a year, let alone in a sitting, and can certainly have systemic pharmacological effects via TRPV1 receptor activation. Resiniferatoxin is a more potent TRPV1 activator than capsaicin -- and, as its name implies, it is dangerously toxic. Your regular jalapeno pepper has a capsaicin content of 0.22mg/g. I don't know how much capsaicin is in the chip, but it certainly seems to have been an unsafe amount. [1]-https://mendelnet.cz/pdfs/mnt/2017/01/96.pdf https://mendelnet.cz/pdfs/mnt/2017/01/96.pdf
- Ekaros 3y ago100mg/g is 0.1g/g meaning 10% of whatever weight. That actually seem achievement of just what can be bred in a plant. Even if that is dry weight or something else getting plant to that level of something mostly useless for it is mind boggling.
- bradley13 3y agoTeens do dumb things, this is nothing new. What gets me here is that some company produced these chips and encouraged the challenge. I hope the company, and its founders, are held liable for the medical costs of all the teens who wound up in the hospital. And criminally liable for the death they caused
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- yonatan8070 3y agoHow does a product like that get FDA approval and is just sold to anyone at a store? Even alcohol, which is safe in comparison, requires customers to show ID
- im3w1l 3y agoFood operates on a default-allow system? Like if you create a new recipe for applie pie that contains ginger and just a hint of lemongrass, it's not like you need a special permission to sell that. Just need a general purpose permission to sell food.
- Simulacra 3y agoThere is no FDA approval process for food or food products. Dietary supplements, for example, are considered food products. In fact, The FDA has to depend on the federal trade commission whenever it wants to force something.
- FireBeyond 3y ago> And criminally liable for the death they caused Pump the brakes a little. The article seems to accept that the chip is to blame, then right at the very end, burying the lede: > Harris Wolobah's cause of death is not yet determined; it's not certain if the chip is to blame. An autopsy will be conducted, but the results could take up to 12 weeks, according to the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. That's a pretty big caveat.
- narism 3y agoThe source/other articles [1][2][3] mention this particular chip has sent multiple other students to the hospital before. I mean, it’s _possible_ they all had some unrelated medical condition trigger/were secretly mainlining heroin/etc at the same time they ate the chip, but is it probable? [1] https://archive.md/2CEum https://archive.md/2CEum [2] https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/tyler-isd-one-chip-chal https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/tyler-isd-one-chip-chal... [3] https://amp.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article257 https://amp.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article257...
- thfuran 3y agoThat wasn't the end of the article. If you keep reading, you'll see references to several prior cases of peppers having induced (or at any rate being linked to) heart and brain problems in others.
- jug 3y agoAlso, maybe better regulate so that products that are lethal even if the consumer has no medical problems can’t be sold as snacks over the counter like this.
- dzhiurgis 3y ago[flagged]
- tongueinkek 3y ago[flagged]
- jpsouth 3y agoThe only way someone’s dying of cannabis is if a ton bale falls on them.
- flutas 3y ago> can you point to a single death from cannabis, anywhere? I mean...yes? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/virginia-mother-pleads-guilty-in-4-year-old-sons-death-from-thc-gummies/3365697/ https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/virginia-mother-ple... I think they were talking about the psychoactive effects you can end up with, that can basically trigger issues in some people with underlying schizophrenia or bipolar. https://adf.org.au/insights/cannabis-mental-health/ https://adf.org.au/insights/cannabis-mental-health/
- dzhiurgis 3y agoCan you point to a single death from spicy chips?
- darkclouds 3y agoThey could have died from shock, just like I suspect a few people died of shock when having breathing difficulties thinking they had covid. Shock is a very nasty mind over matter condition.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago> Shock is a very nasty mind over matter condition. "Shock" as you're using it is extremely ambiguous. Perhaps you should define your terms. You are clearly not referring to the class of medical emergencies known as circulatory shock. Perhaps your comments refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_stress_disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_stress_disorder which is psychological, but no medical doctor will refer to this as "shock" without qualifying it.
- darkclouds 3y agoToo much calcium amplifying the effects of too much adrenaline that causes problems in the body and mind, seen with things like a higher heart rate, as well as panic attacks.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y agoYou are literally not describing any type of medical shock whatsoever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_(circulatory) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_(circulatory) I do not doubt that yours is a real condition, but it is not called "shock" in medical terminology, so please stop calling it that.
- darkclouds 3y agoPeople can go into shock and die. "Shock may result from trauma, heatstroke, blood loss or an allergic reaction. It also may result from severe infection, poisoning, severe burns or other causes. When a person is in shock, their organs don't get enough blood or oxygen. If shock is not treated, it can lead to permanent organ damage or even death." https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-shock/basics/art-20056620#:~:text=Shock%20may%20result%20from%20trauma,organ%20damage%20or%20even%20death https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-shock/basics/....
- illiac786 3y agoI hope some day alcohol and unhealthy food in general is taxed to the amount required to compensate for the health care system costs it causes.
- davidgerard 3y ago> it's not certain if the chip is to blame.
- DoreenMichele 3y agoThe hot pepper linked to teen's death can cause arteries in the brain to spasm. Life is chemistry. At the risk of having some fool conclude we should regulate hot peppers as a drug: Capsaicin is an active ingredient in some topical pain meds. Lack of muscle protein promotes insulin resistance. Sugar takes the edge off pain. Etc. Enough of anything can kill you, even water. Water poisoning is a thing and people in the military tend to have heard of it and with heat waves sweeping the globe, it's making the radar of more people.
- jug 3y agoYeah, capsaicin as a drug should probably not need regulation. As a snack for entertainment, on the other hand.
- cameronh90 3y ago> Capsaicin is an active ingredient in some topical pain meds. In the UK, they are prescription only. There's also a shortage of them so I've been unable to get any for a year.
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- bhouston 3y agoI did the One Chip Challenge at Christmas. I did get a bunch of side effects (I got really dizzy, then I felt quite bad and then I threw up) from the level of spice in the chip. Which is strange because I can eat the spiciest foods from restaurants and usually enjoy them. Here is a good article description of what to expect from the "One chip challenge", I can verify from experience that it is pretty spot on: https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2022/06/spicy-food-challenges-harmful-or-healthy https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2022/06/spicy-food...
- adammarples 3y agoStrangest line from that article "In its attempt to cool itself down, your body’s temperature will rise" Not what I would have expected
- heisenzombie 3y agoHa, yes that’s a funny line. I think what they’re getting at is that in order to reduce your core temperature, your body will move hot blood to your skin and extremities, raising their temperature (and making you feel hot!). This increases the temperature difference to your surroundings and therefore speeds up heat loss.
- Obscurity4340 3y agoI have a delicate—err—question: isn't that level of spice consumption unpleasant on the way out? Maybe I've just heard too many Taco Bell jokes but there it is.
- bhouston 3y agoI threw up much of it and it was a little spicy on the way out but it wasn’t that bad compared to eating it. Also I do not remember too much discomfort out the other end related to spice. But I generally felt nauseous and my stomach hurt in general. And once it was out I felt better.
- Traubenfuchs 3y agoI think this is the best advertisement they could ever get: So spicy, it literally killed one consumer!
- acdha 3y agoThat was my first thought: I bet they’re going for $30/bag on eBay now.
- Ekaros 3y agoFinally something living up to all that usual marketing... But more seriously, if we are closing in on actually dangerous products. Maybe limiting the amount of active ingredients included in product might make sense from regulatory viewpoint. For example in some places amount of caffeine in energy drinks is limited.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 3y agoI was talking with some of my Swedish friends the other day and we were both marveling that it is not a requirement to put caffeine amounts on American beverages. I get that sometimes it can be hard to measure but that is not a problem for energy drinks, and for when it is a problem just slap an (estimated) label on there. Given how powerfully it affects people (an extra 40 mg at the wrong time for me can cause me to be awake for more hours at a time) it feels insane that I have to look this up
- Obscurity4340 3y agoIts just as silly there's no nutrition info on most off-the-shelf alcoholic beverage containers.
- rapnie 3y agoLike wine, which is apparently full of all kinds of additives.
- dagw 3y agoLike wine, which is apparently full of all kinds of additives. Some wines are, some aren't. The problem is it requires a lot of research to find out which is which. The fact that the EU has let itself be bullied by the alcohol lobby to not put ingredient and nutritional information on alcoholic beverages is truly shameful.
- Symbiote 3y agoThis seems to be gradually changing in the EU. Although it's not required, according to [1] 95% of canned or bottled beer sold in the EU now includes the ingredients, 88% the energy, though I can't see a figure for full nutrition labelling. I see ingredient and energy labels on all the Danish-brewed beers I have, but only the ingredients on a couple of others. A non-alcoholic beer, of course, has the full nutrition information as it isn't exempt. https://beerwisdom.eu/ https://beerwisdom.eu/
- ilaksh 3y agoThe whole culture around extreme spice is incredibly stupid. Idiot: "I dare you!" Intelligent person: "No, I choose not to torture myself." Other idiot: "What are you, afraid??!" Intelligent person: "Yes, I don't like pain and discomfort, and I don't see any reason to subject myself to it." After a certain level of "heat", it's not food and shouldn't be treated as such.
- aaron695 3y ago[flagged]
- watwut 3y agoYou don't have to do stupid or dangerous things to challenge yourself. You can even, gasp, moderate the amount of danger involved. And doing something because you are afraid to look weak is just being sheep.
- nscalf 3y agoSometimes doing stupid things is fun. That’s the point.
- dagw 3y agoI don't like pain and discomfort To be fair, some of my favourite experiences have been preceded by pain, discomfort and risk.
- justanotherjoe 3y agoThere is a psychological study, where two group of people are asked to do some task for pay. Afterward they have to rate how engaging was the task they have to do. The group who are paid well reported that the work was boring. While the group who are paid little reported that the task was fun and challenging. The task was the same for both groups, but the first one justifies it by having compensation. While the second one by making the task fun or more cynically by deluding themselves that it has some kind of value.
- Simulacra 3y agoWith all of the dangers of modern processed food, I'm surprised the media chose to focus on a spicy chip.
- washadjeffmad 3y agoWill any actions that result from this also affect use of pepper spray, or just voluntary consumption?