Competitive Eating

You have most likely heard of competitive eating before and there's a good opportunity you might have even tried it your self as an amateur. I entered a couple of eating contests at local fairs in my day, particularly as a young girl but it was nothing more than fun and games.

For some, however, competitive eating is some thing serious. So a lot so, in fact, that we now have Major League Eating, an international ranking of the top competitors in this unusual sport. It even inspired the reality Tv show, "Man Versus Food."

This year's men's winner of the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest ate 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes and the first-ever women's winner ate 40 hot dogs. It is a fascination that is sweeping far more than just our nation as countries all over the globe feature similar eating contests.

The bizarre sport of competitive eating is absolutely nothing brief of a freak show to some people. Depending on who you ask, it should not be considered a sport at all. Some call it gluttony, other people call it mental disorder- so what is it really?

A government watchdog group in Taiwan calls it a health hazard. "The frequent 'big-stomach' contests not only endanger health but violate the principle of fairness as the contestants who get sick are using the national health insurance resources," stated the group, in a statement.

Whilst such contests are not illegal, the group considers them to be against social fairness and justice as nicely as harmful to health.

Is there any truth to the health hazards of such excessive eating? There is one small study attempting to find out once and for all. The objective was "to assess the stomachs of a world-class speed-eating champion and of a control topic during a speed-eating test in our gastrointestinal fluoroscopy suite to determine how competitive speed eaters are in a position to eat so much so quick."

The study showed that a competitive eater seemed to lack the "satiety reflex" to trigger them to quit eating and the stomach would inflate to an huge price to permit for the excess food.

"There's no real documentation of the risks and dangers associated with this sport," says Levine, a doctor in the study.

While some may believe anybody who would consume that a lot food must have a mental disorder, there have also been no tests or studies done to date that clarify something concerning the mental state of individuals who choose to participate in such contests. For some, it might be mere curiosity. For other people, it is a way to stake their personal little claim to fame.

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