Gastric drain: is it possible to burst from gluttony
Information about gastronomic contests is periodically flashing on the Internet, which assesses not the skill of culinary experts, but the speed of eating delicacies. For advertising purposes and for entertainment, people swallow dumplings, sushi, pancakes and even ice cream. Some "championships" end tragically: the body cannot withstand such abundance. Izvestia found out whether it is possible to literally burst from gluttony and how carefully you need to chew food in order for it to be useful.
Why can't you chew fast
When it comes to chewing speed, a quote from Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov's novel "The Twelve Chairs" comes to mind: "By chewing food carefully, you help society." From a scientific point of view, a person who takes his time at the table helps himself and his body first of all. There is even a theory about 22-25 chewing movements that should be performed when a piece of food enters the mouth. But this is not a strict medical norm, but a guideline, says Anastasia Lebedeva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Dietetics at Rosbiotech University. It is important not to count movements, but to ensure that the consistency of food becomes homogeneous and soft before swallowing.
Classical gastroenterology says that digestion begins in the oral cavity and ends in the rectum, recalls Denis Prokofiev, a general practitioner, cardiologist, and holder of the status of "Moscow Doctor." At all stages of this serious process, food must necessarily undergo mechanical and enzymatic processing.
— Since the mechanical processing of a food lump begins in the oral cavity, it is necessary to chew food properly. This helps to moisturize and break up the solid composition of food," explains the specialist. — As a result, a full-fledged food lump is formed, which subsequently enters the esophagus, where the second major function of the gastrointestinal tract begins — enzymatic processing and subsequent cleavage.
All these stages must be completed in order for the body to receive full—fledged elements - carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and trace elements. If mechanical, chemical or enzymatic processing is disrupted at some stages, then health-related problems arise.
"When a person eats quickly, actually swallowing food, mechanically undivided dietary fibers of coarse food enter the body," the doctor comments. — The body has to make efforts to "push" the production of pancreatic enzymes and the secretion of hydrochloric acid, as well as do everything possible to release a large amount of bile.
As a result, the digestion time increases and, as a result, the food actually stagnates in the intestines. This leads to increased gas formation, bloating, irritation of the mucous membrane, and the formation of pathological conditions such as colitis and constipation. That is why it is recommended to chew food thoroughly, eat small portions and, most importantly, take your time.
But there is one more point that you should pay attention to, warns Prokofiev.
— Due to the fact that a lot of food enters the stomach, which is not mechanically processed enough, blood flow increases, and it also participates in the digestive process. As a result, there is an excessive load on the circulatory system. As a result, various pathologies arise, including aneurysms and arterial bleeding, since the arteries supply blood to the abdominal wall, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract.
Food Champions
Competitions in eating different types of food are not uncommon. For example, at the Pskov Gastronomic Festival in 2024, one of the participants ate 30 dumplings in a minute and two seconds. And in 2022, a blogger from Veliky Novgorod set an absolute record: he swallowed 25 pieces of khinkali in a minute and a half, reducing the scoring time by 30 seconds. Doctors are convinced that such events are always fraught with health risks and sometimes end sadly. In 2023, two tragedies were discussed in the media: in Omsk, a woman choked on a pancake, and a 23-year-old Muscovite woman choked on a cake.
— The so—called competitions related to fast and plentiful consumption of food, especially such complex ones as flour products and fast food, are a direct route to a hospital bed, warns Denis Prokofiev. — The body cannot cope with enzymatic processing. But the most important thing is a crisis increase in blood flow, which can lead to rupture of the main vessels. The result is sad: from bleeding from the stomach and duodenum to intestinal obstruction. These acute surgical pathologies require emergency hospitalization.
Speed and volume eating competitions are not harmless entertainment, but a serious strain on the digestive system and the body as a whole. Our gastrointestinal tract is physiologically not designed for extreme amounts of food coming in a short time, Anastasia Lebedeva emphasizes.
— Fast food intake disrupts one of the key mechanisms of appetite regulation. The saturation signal enters the brain with a delay — on average 15-20 minutes after the start of a meal, explains the biotechnologist. — If a person eats fast, they almost always overeat. With insufficient chewing, food is less moistened with saliva, does not undergo primary enzymatic processing and enters the stomach in large fragments, which increases the load on it.
The same dumplings and khinkali are dense foods with high calorie content and significant fat content. And if you eat them "at speed", then a dense mass forms in the stomach, its volume increases dramatically.
— This creates risks of acute overstretch, disruption of blood supply to the stomach wall, a sharp increase in glucose levels and lipid load. All this is fraught with such a diagnosis as acute pancreatitis in people predisposed to it," the Izvestia interlocutor lists.
It is equally dangerous to swallow "kilograms" of ice cream — a high-calorie and cold product. According to Lebedeva, its rapid consumption in large volumes can cause vascular spasm, irritation of the mucous membrane, and a sharp release of insulin due to sugar. And in sensitive people, cardiac arrhythmias are possible, especially when combined with hypothermia of the pharynx and vagus nerve.
Sushi is a combination of rice, fish, and often sauces with a high salt content. Rapid ingestion of such dishes is a risk of suffocation, especially with large chunks. Excessive consumption of salty foods provokes sharp fluctuations in blood pressure and stress on the kidneys. In addition, a large amount of raw fish is a potential parasitic and bacterial load," the expert adds.
If you literally or figuratively compete at the table when eating, then the stomach eventually becomes huge, which causes the rest of the internal organs to shift.
— In such contests, there is a high risk of pieces falling into the trachea. In this case, the airways become obstructed, and then they must be released immediately. Due to a large lump of food, the esophagus may rupture, which may result in cardiac arrest," the biotechnologist continues.
Such events are especially dangerous for people with cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, stomach and pancreatic diseases, Lebedeva warns. She calls gastronomic tournaments the exploitation of the body to the limit of its physiological capabilities, emphasizing that the digestive system is designed for rhythmic, moderate eating, and not for extreme exertion.
Serious consequences
The expression "burst from gluttony" has a real basis. The stomach is a stretchable organ, it can increase in volume, warns Anastasia Lebedeva. With systematic overeating, the capacity of this organ increases.
— The main risks are overgrowth of the stomach walls, impaired motility, gastroesophageal reflux and microtrauma of the esophageal mucosa. In extreme cases, the risk of ruptures is not excluded," the specialist clarifies.
With regular overloads, the stomach may not fully return to its original parameters.
The biotechnologist lists the most dangerous options in which a fatal outcome is possible:
— suffocation when food gets stuck in the respiratory tract;
— severe electrolyte disturbances;
— rupture of the stomach with extreme overstrain;
— acute cardiac arrhythmias;
— aspiration (ingestion into the respiratory tract) of vomit.
The warnings of experts concern not only dangerous gastronomic competitions. There is no point in rushing around the table when it comes to breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The so-called heavy food is at special risk: hard-to-digest foods with a lot of fats and carbohydrates.
Dr. Prokofiev considers any type of fast food to be the most dangerous. With such food, the body receives a "shock dose" of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in a short period of time. The list also includes dishes that are initially difficult to digest, such as jelly. The general practitioner also mentions products associated with a possible risk of fermentation, that is, saturated fatty fermented milk dishes. Salads with mayonnaise, which contain a large number of ingredients, are also considered heavy foods.
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