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https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/11/05/you...rong-50436
EXCERPT: In most cases, eating an ultra-hot pepper produces intense but temporary misery. The burning eventually subsides, the sweating stops, and the victim can return to whatever activity normally occupies someone who considers this a worthwhile pastime. But not always.
As I discussed in a 2023 ACSH article about the Paqui One Chip Challenge, capsaicin is more than a harmless source of culinary entertainment. The National Capital Poison Center warns that high capsaicin exposure can cause severe gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, breathing difficulties, chest pain, and potentially serious cardiovascular complications. Forceful vomiting can also damage the esophagus. In a 2018 case report published in BMJ Case Reports, physicians described a 34-year-old man who developed excruciating headaches after eating a Carolina Reaper during a contest.
Brain scans revealed narrowing of several cerebral arteries, consistent with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). Fortunately, the blood vessels eventually returned to normal. Whether this made any difference in his future endeavors is less clear.
Perhaps the most disturbing example involves 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, who died in September 2023 after participating in the Paqui One Chip Challenge. According to the autopsy findings reported in 2024, Wolobah suffered cardiopulmonary arrest following ingestion of a substance containing a high concentration of capsaicin. The examination also revealed an enlarged heart and a congenital coronary artery abnormality, which may have increased his vulnerability. The precise contribution of each factor remains uncertain.
Paqui subsequently discontinued the product.
These events are exceptionally uncommon, and most people who eat ultra-hot peppers recover without serious injury. Capsaicin can produce almost unbearable pain without necessarily causing significant tissue damage. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's harmless... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: In most cases, eating an ultra-hot pepper produces intense but temporary misery. The burning eventually subsides, the sweating stops, and the victim can return to whatever activity normally occupies someone who considers this a worthwhile pastime. But not always.
As I discussed in a 2023 ACSH article about the Paqui One Chip Challenge, capsaicin is more than a harmless source of culinary entertainment. The National Capital Poison Center warns that high capsaicin exposure can cause severe gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, breathing difficulties, chest pain, and potentially serious cardiovascular complications. Forceful vomiting can also damage the esophagus. In a 2018 case report published in BMJ Case Reports, physicians described a 34-year-old man who developed excruciating headaches after eating a Carolina Reaper during a contest.
Brain scans revealed narrowing of several cerebral arteries, consistent with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). Fortunately, the blood vessels eventually returned to normal. Whether this made any difference in his future endeavors is less clear.
Perhaps the most disturbing example involves 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, who died in September 2023 after participating in the Paqui One Chip Challenge. According to the autopsy findings reported in 2024, Wolobah suffered cardiopulmonary arrest following ingestion of a substance containing a high concentration of capsaicin. The examination also revealed an enlarged heart and a congenital coronary artery abnormality, which may have increased his vulnerability. The precise contribution of each factor remains uncertain.
Paqui subsequently discontinued the product.
These events are exceptionally uncommon, and most people who eat ultra-hot peppers recover without serious injury. Capsaicin can produce almost unbearable pain without necessarily causing significant tissue damage. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's harmless... (MORE - missing details)