Experts reveal the extra-hot sauces that could trigger a heart attack…as teen dies after eating super spicy tortilla chip
The super spicy spices in your cupboard can cause painful ulcers and stomach ruptures – as well as potentially fatal heart attacks, experts have told DailyMail.com.
Doctors say that, for those who are vulnerable, some extra hot sauces on supermarket shelves contain dangerous levels of capsaicin, the chili pepper extract that causes the heat.
For people with an enlarged heart and congenital heart defects, it can be “like sticking a bomb in your stomach,” said Dr. Allan Capin, an emergency physician at the Cleveland Clinic.
At high levels, doctors told DailyMail.com that capsaicin causes an intense pain response that constricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and increases heart rate. This causes the heart to become overloaded and can result in a heart attack.
The warnings follow the shocking death of 14-year-old Massachusetts teenager Harris Wolobah, who suffered a fatal heart attack after eating the world’s alleged spiciest chip as part of a social media challenge.
Harris Wolobah, 14, died last year after attempting the One Chip Challenge. The autopsy revealed that he had suffered a heart attack and had a congenital heart defect
Paqui has been promoting the one chip challenge since 2016. The brand, now owned by the Hershey Company, provided an extensive warning on the coffin-shaped packaging.
Investigation revealed that the 10th grader had an underlying heart condition that was worsened by the high dose of capsaicin.
The responsible chip, from snack brand Paqui, has now been removed from the shelves.
Experts noted that while it is rare to die from high levels of capsaicin, it is not impossible. Now they have warned that other products on sale could have a similar disastrous effect.
In addition to Paqui’s chip, several brands of hot sauce containing capsaicin have marketed themselves as the “hottest in the world,” which could pose problems for people with heart problems.
The Last Dab Xperience, available at Walmart and the most extreme sauce from the hit YouTube show Hot Ones, is made with Pepper
It scores almost 2.7 million on the Scoville scale and more than 90 percent of its ingredients are dried, fresh or distilled Pepper X.
And a hot sauce called The End: Flatline, available on Amazon, shows a flatlining ECG with the description: ‘This is a warning, and a real warning, not like some of the funny warnings we only mean on our other hot sauces: This is our hottest hot sauce.
And Pepper Palace’s hottest sauce on the planet – 2nd Dimension contains over 40 pounds of ghost peppers in every batch.
Harris’ family prays with Rev. Jonathan Slavinskas during a vigil in Worcester, Massachusetts, on September 8, 2023
The Last Xperience and The End: Flatline both promote themselves as the most popular in the world, with the former scoring over 2.6 million on the Scoville scale
A Pepper Palace sauce is being called the hottest sauce in the world, touting nearly 40 pounds of ghost peppers in each batch
‘It combines some of the fieryest peppers in the world for a flaming, tongue-tingling flavor that will burn everything from your taste buds to your pants. If you’re ready to go completely flat, this is extremely hot sauce made with reapers, pepper extract, ghost peppers, scorpion peppers and 7 jar chocolate douglah peppers is for you.’
Experts say it’s difficult to quantify how much spice is too much, but it’s crucial that you take it slow or avoid spices labeled “world’s hottest.”
The autopsy of Harris, who died in September 2023, revealed that he was born with cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect called a myocardial bridge that affects blood flow to the organ.
Dr. James Udelson, chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Center, told AP that if someone has “significant stimulation of the heart,” for example after eating very spicy foods, the heart muscle bridge can result in abnormal blood flow and irregular heartbeat.
“There have been reports of acute toxicity from capsaicin, which causes myocardial ischemia,” he added.
“Under the right combination of problems like this boy seems to have had, it could trigger the heart to malfunction the way it did,” Dr. Jack Rubinstein to DailyMail.com
Paqui, manufacturer of the chip that Harris ate, encouraged people to explore their physical limits. Those who can endure the searing pain for up to an hour without eating or drinking earn the title ‘Apex Predator’
Dr. Jack Rubinstein, a cardiologist and professor of internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati, told DailyMail.com that this is because capsaicin binds to the brain receptor TRPV1, which is activated by extreme heat.
This causes a pain response in the body, causing the blood vessels to constrict. This causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase and puts pressure on the heart.
Dr. Rubinstein said that while this can cause discomfort in most people, it can lead to more serious consequences in patients like Harris. “With the right combination of problems, the heart can malfunction.”
Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian at Fully fedtold DailyMail.com that persistently high heart rates can lead to irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias.
“If someone has an underlying heart condition, such as a congenital heart defect, it can work so hard that it causes cardiac arrest,” she said.
Additionally, she noted that capsaicin can weaken the esophageal sphincters, muscle bands that open or close the esophagus at either end.
When these become irritated, it can lead to acid buildup in the esophagus or acid reflux.
In one such casea 47-year-old man in California tore a hole in his esophagus by eating a hamburger topped with ghost pepper puree.
Dr. Rubinstein noted that although he did not treat Harris, it is possible that neither Harris nor his family knew he had a congenital heart defect. “Most people live and die with myocardial bridging and never really know they have it unless a problem arises,” he said.
Although experts have noted that these cases are rare, some apparently healthy people have experienced serious reactions to high capsaicin.
For example, in 2012 a healthy 25-year-old man in Turkey had a heart attack and narrowed arteries five days after he started taking cayenne pepper pills to lose weight.
Dr. However, Rubinstein pointed to recent research suggesting that capsaicin, in much lower doses, could have health benefits. These include reducing inflammation, reducing pain and relieving gastrointestinal conditions such as IBS.
“There is some pretty strong evidence that low doses of capsaicin, either eaten or applied to the skin, can actually protect the heart through a very different mechanism than what happened to this poor child,” he said.
“It can actually protect the heart.”
And dr. Capin warned that while extremely hot sauces, such as those containing ghost peppers, are “highly unlikely” to cause any adverse effects. “You’d have to eat a huge amount of it,” he said.
He estimated that someone weighing about 150 pounds would have to eat three pounds of ghost peppers to cause a fatal reaction. Dr.’s rule of thumb Capin is to eat no more than 1/50th of your weight in hot peppers.
For a 150-pound person, that’s three pounds, or 40-50 peppers – the average ghost pepper weighs 0.3 ounces.
Since the average American man weighs 199 pounds, according to the CDC, he would need to eat almost four pounds, about 64 peppers.
If you do experience a severe reaction to hot peppers or sauce, Dr. Capin warns against reaching for a glass of water. That’s because capsaicin is oil-based, so it will clash with water and not suppress discomfort.
Instead, he recommends keeping bread, lemonade or milk on hand.