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Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

bbc.com

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Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#61

Post by jjulius »

spikels wrote: post #59

This article seems to say chilli peppers can't hurt you. However just a few days ago the Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that a ghost pepper (a very hot chilli pepper) caused an esophageal rupture - a serious and potentially life threatening injury. http://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30256-6/ful... Why is the BBC not aware of this? A simple search would have yielded a more timely, accurate and in…

One could argue that it wasn't necessarily the pepper itself that tore the hole in that individual's esophagus. Rather it was the intense, repeated vomiting that caused the rupture. The pepper only caused the hole by proxy.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#62

Post by robryk »

spikels wrote: post #59

This article seems to say chilli peppers can't hurt you. However just a few days ago the Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that a ghost pepper (a very hot chilli pepper) caused an esophageal rupture - a serious and potentially life threatening injury. http://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30256-6/ful... Why is the BBC not aware of this? A simple search would have yielded a more timely, accurate and in…

Note that this is a very indirect way of harming someone: eating peppers has (likely) caused vomiting, violent vomiting has caused rupture of the esophagus.

This is similar to saying that walking can cause fat embolism (a life threatening condition): while walking you can fracture one of the long bones in your leg (e.g. your femur). A rare complication of long bone fracture is fat embolism.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#63

Post by vhost- »

spikels wrote: post #59

This article seems to say chilli peppers can't hurt you. However just a few days ago the Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that a ghost pepper (a very hot chilli pepper) caused an esophageal rupture - a serious and potentially life threatening injury. http://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30256-6/ful... Why is the BBC not aware of this? A simple search would have yielded a more timely, accurate and in…

But was this due to the heat, acidity or some other characteristic of this cross? Or was it because he swallowed a pepper whole and it tore a hole because it went down sideways? You have to remember how much and how fast people shove things into their mouths during these contests...

I can't find anything that tells me why it happened.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#64

Post by dwc »

huherto wrote: post #11

Mexican here. I find it amusing that people focus on how spicy their peppers are. They are missing the point. There are many pepper varieties and each has a different flavor. That is the interesting part and how it mixes with different foods in a variety of recipes. Focus on the flavor, not the burn.

From the US here, but close enough to the border with Mexico to have grown up eating spicy foods. I agree completely. I have been growing peppers for a while now, and selecting the pepper for a dish is a lot more than choosing the level of heat. There's a wonderful variety of flavor to be found.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#65

Post by robryk »

vhost- wrote: post #63
spikels wrote: post #59

This article seems to say chilli peppers can't hurt you. However just a few days ago the Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that a ghost pepper (a very hot chilli pepper) caused an esophageal rupture - a serious and potentially life threatening injury. http://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(16)30256-6/ful... Why is the BBC not aware of this? A simple search would have yielded a more timely, accurate and in…

But was this due to the heat, acidity or some other characteristic of this cross? Or was it because he swallowed a pepper whole and it tore a hole because it went down sideways? You have to remember how much and how fast people shove things into their mouths during these contests... I can't find anything that tells me why it happened.

It's because of strain while vomiting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerhaave_syndrome

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#67

Post by topbanana »

johnbrodie wrote: post #2

As someone who enjoys a good hot sauce or pepper, I was interested in this article. Have I done damage to myself by eating 5 million+ scoville sauces? Unfortunately, this article is almost completely devoid of real information, and doesn't answer the question at all.

It does actually conclude that you can't hurt yourself.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#68

Post by M_Grey »

klipt wrote: post #42
M_Grey wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is it exactly? It looks a bit like a spiny berry to my untrained eye.

Wiki says: "The genus Zanthoxylum belongs in the rue or citrus family, and, despite its name, is not closely related to either black pepper or chili pepper." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper

Well, I learned something new today, thanks.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#69

Post by teh_klev »

byuu wrote: post #66

At least on Chrome, bbc.com is hijacking middle-clicks and opening them in the same window. Who there thought that was a good idea?! That's the first time I've seen that one. If you're a web designer, please do not do that.

It's done that for years. The BBC UK news site is the same, hugely infuriating.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#70

Post by maxerickson »

logfromblammo wrote: post #45
jordigh wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mexican here too. I do like the burn, which is a separate sensation from the flavour. The burn is a pleasant, controlled pain. It also makes the flavours more intense. I regularly consume habaneros, and I've recently tried ghost peppers in the form of hot chicken wings. I didn't know hot sauce could make my whole hand burn, but it did, for an entire day. I can see why people put on gloves to handle ghost peppers. I w…

Topically applied capsaicin ointment has been used to alleviate [osteo-] arthritis pain. Basically, it overstimulates the pain receptors, and they attenuate to a lower level. Wearing gloves is a good idea while processing capsicums, but also quietly chant to yourself "Don't touch your eyes. Don't touch your eyes. Don't touch your eyes."

I think I'd put some safety glasses in the kitchen if I found myself chanting that.

I frequently put them on in situations where they aren't terribly necessary exactly to remind myself to keep my fingers out of my eyes.

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