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Oct 24, 2008 03:35 PM | 17
A Taiwanese student vying to become the "Big Stomach King" died after scarfing down two rice- and cheese-filled steamed buns, along with some of his teammates' food—a rare but not unheard-of competitive-eating death.
Twenty-three-year-old Chen (he's not fully identified in this Reuters report) fainted and died yesterday after "relentless" vomiting during the contest at Dayeh University in Changhua, Taiwan, according to the newswire.
Chen may have died from eating too fast, not too much, Huang Te-hsiang, the university's dean of student affairs, told Reuters. (Another report in Taiwan News quotes her as saying he may have choked to death.) "I can't say why he died," Huang told Reuters. "He had been in the contest before. He was a strong guy."
Surprisingly, the handful of known competitive eating deaths don't seem to be from athletes' stomachs bursting, says Jason Fagone, author of the 2006 book Horsemen of the Esophagus: Competitive Eating and the Big Fat American Dream. Whereas medical case reports have documented deadly stomach ruptures, most are among bulimics, author Mary Roach notes in this 1999 piece in Salon. "The stomach is amazingly resistant to trauma," Fagone says. "You can really, really abuse it repeatedly and it will hold up."
At least five people, including Chen, are known to have died after competitive eating, Fagone says. Most choked to death; a California woman died of water intoxication last year while trying not to urinate to win a Wii game console.
Strokes, however, may be a hazard. Mort Hurst suffered from one after eating 38 soft-boiled eggs in 29 seconds, only to return to the table after he recovered, Fagone wrote in Slate. "It's the rare injury that can prevent a dedicated eater from continuing to show up," Fagone says. "There's not such a thing as retirement in competitive eating."
(Image by iStockphoto/Rebecca Ellis)
Tags:
choke,
competitive eating,
stomach rupture,
stroke
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17 Comments
Add CommentSome men seek to rise above the common man, and by their seeking greatness they attain a kind of greatness even when they fail. And while Man may be destroyed, if he is a real man, he cannot be defeated.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat a piece of work is Man.
These people and the people that enjoy this sort of event are the lowest common denominator. I can not say that I am sad that this happened. Why do we celebrate idiots or people who risk their lives uneccessarily? We should be celebrating Scientists and Engineers achievements but instead we get to hear about Britney Spears every day. No wonder why there is no interest in Science and Math anymore. Everyone wants to be a Lawyer, Doctor or Cop because each proffession has a television drama associated with it. We need to make it cool or accepted to be great in Math and Science then we will see the interest rise. You cannot stop the power of peer pressure and the need to be accepted. It is a basic human condition that needs to be feed. We need to embrace that while making younger kids celebrate intelligence instead of the High School Quaterback.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is death or glory for these modern day gladiators.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhereas I, in principle, agree with "mac" [above], I don't believe hoisting Math & Science hero`s upon the pedestal of adulation is the way our society should go either. It is truly a sad indictment of our Western Civilization [sic] when otherwise talented students at our universities have to seek "glory" in such inane activities like eating or drinking contests (after all, we do not know whether or not Chen was, in fact, a math & science student :-).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn the other hand, whatever happened to morality, ethical living with consideration of others, charity, responibility & humility? Instead, in this post-Darwinian, post-Freudian atheistic (re: Richard Dawkins) and cynical mockery (re: Bill Maher) era, where we seem to get our socialization more from rap-songs and trash-talk than edifying principles which can, & should, not only build "up" society, but enhance and give [enough] "glory" to the individual so he or she need not stuff their faces with steamed rice-&-cheese buns, hot-dogs, pizza, etc. to prove that hogs & swine are not the only ones who can act like pigs!
There was a book published not too long ago which had the amazingly shattering title: "Doesn't Anyone Blush Any More?" - I, personally, believe just the title of this book could be the much needed "wake-up call" we, and all society, need today.
Geniuses, we have aplenty; prodigies are today a dime-a-dozen, meaningless PhD's, vain actors & actresses, illiterate athletic millionaires and greedy politicians are in over abundance, however the "good" neighbor, the "reliable" friend, the "faithful" spouse, "respectful" children, the "honor" code at our colleges & universities and our own, once, moral fiber and self-respect seem to be nothing more than fodder for "mentally challenged" sit-com writers and faceless (re: soul-less) disc-jockeys.
Math & Science studies? Sure! However, whatever field of study and profession we aim to accomplish to earn "our daily bread", we should still strive to be the best moral role model and ethically responsible friend, colleague, neighbor, spouse and citizen we can! Remeber: bonitas non est pessimis esse meliorem (one has not achieved goodness simply by being better than the worst).
Why are we subjected to this drival? What is the relevance except to show that even once trusted sources of real scientific information are now comprimised by the new "senstionalize the absurd and put it out as news" editorial ethic. Or perhaps there is an editorial staff member who was recruited from "The National Inquirer"? Enough of this junk! Your credibility will be, no is, already compromised.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI personally don't agree with making a joke out of someone's death. And 'mac,' in my opinion people who regard others with such disdain are the 'lowest common denominator.'
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTJV, I was not making a joke out of this person's death but was making a point that the death was "pointless" and driven by the ridiculous nature or current state of affairs in today's society. I know it seems very cold and disconnected but to be honest I care more for the people that truly have tragic deaths where they were behaving responsibly... and/or were taken to early from this earth from a horrible disease like cancer. I see a perfectly healthy person who died here acting like a "glutton" and then I see a sick child who can barely hold down food to stay alive and I say to myself there is "absolutely" no reason for this mans death other than disregard for the gift of life that he had swallowed away. There is absolutly no joke there, disregard yes.. but no joke. In any case, I agreee with most if not all of what 'vioinistplus' stated. I agree that there are many noble careers that I did not mention but the ones that are celebrated tend to have the most drama inherit to the job description. I heard that America is now weak in Math and Science that is why I mentioned those two disciplines. Plus I figured the people who read ScientificAmerican have an appreciation for the hard sciences. There are many careers that keep this country moving day in and day out that never get the credit that they are do until they are not working properly anymore. Then people realize how important those jobs are... I am glad to hear that there are other people who are a little fed up like me and are a little more eloquent in depecting their feelings.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere's no need to worry about our country's shortage of scientists and engineers. Plenty of educated people from all over the world are willing to relocate. This is the land of opportunity and you get what you put in. Back on topic, why was this article in Scientific American?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this is a very interesting article. (I'm not sure about the picture though!) I agree fully with TJV.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy son almost died "needlessly". I was driving a car. Driving is not a necessity and car accidents are real killers. Competitive eating USUALLY does not kill anyone. Before you start talking about how "stupid" the student was being for participating in the contest - look up some information. How many students die from football injuries? How many die from laboratory accidents?
The reason this story is interesting is because a student died shortly after competitive eating and we don't know why. If he just choked or died some other way, it would not be scientific news. Aren't you curious what actually physically happened to him? Are you just calling him an "idiot" because you hold the misconception that competitive eating is an ode to gluttony? Most competitive eaters are thinner than I am and probably consume less than I do - they just consume really quickly for short periods of time as a sport - like any other long list of physical sports. Hate-on competitive eating all you want (it's not my idea of a good time either), but studying professional competitive eaters has actually proved scientifically valuable. Their digestive systems are conditioned to deal with eating large amounts quickly, and some scientists (instead of calling them names) have asked them to be test subjects.
By the way, I got over my cliche-y anti-football player high school hang ups a long time ago. It may be more productive if more people got it as well. Perhaps if we (as those interested in science) didn't set ourselves apart from the mainstream so much, more people would be interested in what we have to say.
The reference to the joke was about the title to this article and the picture going along with it, not your comment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, I would like to emphasize that the young man who passed away was a Taiwanese student, attending school in Taiwan, so any comments about the American social structure are null and void.
He was a student, and the fact that he was participating in an eating contest does not make him an idiot. Eating contests are not generally considered risky, and he was a college student who probably thought that the only consequence would be a couple extra pounds.
Further more, he could have been a "math and science" student for all you know. I know of plenty of college students who are pursuing degrees in math, science, and engineering who would be only too happy to participate in an eating contest to have fun with their friends.
This was a tragedy because a young man was ripped away from his family and friends unexpectedly.
I also think its a tragedy that so many people don't care for the value of a human life.
Competitve eating is the only sport in which losing your life provokes no empathy, and little sympathy when a contestant loses their life while competing. The world of REAL SPORTS, olympic games for example, have at their core something that all men and woman can respect. The testing of the gut sack against the clock rates up there with The Book of Records and people who don't want to really pursue an honorable goal. This reminds me of the german race to see who can cram 5 grams of european "snuff" up their poor defensless nose. Some use a little wooden mallet... How long before the CompEater starts using "RAM" form an old flintlockto make things easier???...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article was really thought provoking and the I appreciate the thoughts of 'vioinistplus' fully. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful message with all of us. It's very much needed in this so-called modern era!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article is really thought provoking. I appreciate the thoughts of vioinistplus completely. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful message with all of us.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMillions starve to death every day and this clown dies as a as a result of participating in something called competitive eating--how could anyone feel any degree of sympathy for this fool?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm sorry "anotherwhiner" that's terrible - many of the other comments are terrible. I certainly wonder where empathy and ethics rate with my fellow sci am readers. I suppose it's because we are on the internet. No well-balanced person would say those types of things to the faces of the student's family.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI just hope you aren't serious - and I would like to think that people who think like you are few. However, I don't think this world is that lucky.
None of us are perfect or completely blameless - to put yourself above this young man because he happened to be a contestant in a competitive eating contest is beyond belief. Mentioning starvation is beyond the pale. It's not the least bit relevant.
There is only one thing I know about "anotherwhiner". He or she wrote that statement on a computer. I wonder how much that cost. I wonder how many meals it would buy.
A young man died doing a stupid/fun little thing. If any of the other participants died in a car accident a few days later, I suppose that WOULD be a tragedy?! What if further investigation showed that his death had little or nothing to do with the eating contest? Would he no longer be and "idiot" and a "clown"?
Competitive eating; a contest that proves nothing. It appeals only to people at the scummy end of the gene pool. If one them DIE trying to capture one of these trophies, consider that it is evolution in action. To the partners left behind, surely common sense should had warned you that, human bodies were never expected to deal with such things as 11 lbs. of butter in 12 minutes. A race to eat a gallon of mayonaise, or hot dogs.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSuch a waste. Of effort, time, hope, a waste of all that is worthwhile. I challange these competitors to save the food for those who really need it, and to raise the money to sent it overseas.
Take a stand against the gross.
BJA
I can see your point, I feel no sympathy for the competitve eater, I will say a prayer for the person's family. I am sure they tried to stop the craziness.
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