Everyone needs to know the mostest hot dogs you can eat, however nobody dares to ask if theres a point-of-no-return for scarfing franks. Luckily, PopSci relishes bizarre questions, so we discovered precisely how far you can push your self when that barbecue will get slightly heated.
The reply unsurprisingly lies within the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest. The benefit of foolish traditions like this one is they supply a straightforward option to examine the extremes of human our bodies. Without the incentives of a nationwide title and televised occasion, itd be onerous to persuade grown-ups to crush piles of franks till they puke or cross out. But with piles of information from Nathans well-known annual showdowns, we can get a considerably clear reply to how many hot dogs an individual can abdomen.
[Related: Heres how many avocados it would take to kill you]
In a 2020 examine, James Smoliga, a physiologist from High Point University in North Carolina, crunched the data of 152 Nathans rivals to see the max number of hot dogs a person could eat per minute for 10 minutes, which is mostly how lengthy the competition runs.
He discovered that, primarily based on the mass and caloric worth of a daily hot canine, plus the stretchiness of the human intestine, an grownup can deal with seven to eight franks and buns tops each 60 seconds. If they maintain that tempo over the 10-minute span, they can mow by means of 70 to 80 hot dogswhich, if youre counting, comes out to about 3,000 energy. After that, the physique stops digesting meals and begins to close down.
In post-game interviews, some Nathans champs say they really feel sleepy and nauseous as soon as they hit their limits. Thankfully, nobody has died on the desk within the contests four-decade historythough participants have been hospitalized for esophageal tears and for breathing vomit into their lungs. Choking is one other common hazard at hot dog contests, and can be particularly dangerous for kids.
Its necessary to do not forget that {most professional} aggressive eaters train their metabolism to be faster than regular. Just as a result of the ceiling at Nathans is 80, doesnt imply each individual can eat that many franks and buns. The standard serving size for a beef hot dog in its wrapping rests squarely at one. If you toss a pair additional in your plate and add some trimming, youll in all probability really feel stuffed, however your physique will in any other case get better after eight or 9 hours. Again, that window doesnt apply for each individual: If you have a preexisting condition like high cholesterol, binging on wieners may result in different pains.
Thats to not say a hot canine binge is ever actually okay. Salt and fats are the massive baddies in processed meats. Companies typically cure hot dogs with nitrates, which drives up the sodium rely and introduces possible cancer-causing compounds.
[Related: How to get your grill ready for summer]
In principle, the extra hot dogs you eat, the extra likelihood you have of getting sick general. Franks can be breeding grounds for foodborne illnesses like listeria. While many of the frozen merchandise come precooked, they nonetheless have to be heated to 165 levels Fahrenheit (or till they steam) to kill lurking germs, says Meredith Carothers, a public well being specialist from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). She factors out that folks typically overlook to clean their fingers, clear their grills, and scrub their knives after prepping produce and uncooked meats at barbecues. To keep away from being killed by the primary, or second, or third hot canine you chew into, follow the USDAs tips for food safety.
We dont have an official suggestion on consuming hot dogs [until you puke], Carothers says. If you eat 10 completely different hot dogs, theres a danger of 1 being undercooked. But if you comply with the 4 stepsclean, separate, prepare dinner, and chillit needs to be suitable for eating many.
