Damaging effect 'one chip challenge' has on your body after Brooklyn Beckham left in tears

The viral 'one chip challenge' that's left people in tears and gasping for water - and has even caused schools to issue health warnings to their students - can have some pretty damaging effects on the body.

For those who aren't in the know, the 'one chip challenge' that is taking TikTok by storm involves eating one of Paqui's tortilla chips specially made with insanely hot seasoning - including Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers.

As if that weren't tough enough, the food challenge, created by Paqui Chips themselves, dares people to 'wait as long as possible' before drinking or eating anything afterwards.

Brooklyn Beckham tried the challenge for himself this week, and his reaction says it all:

According to the Paqui website, anyone who can last up to an hour before eating or drinking anything for relief after trying their Carolina Reaper chip is 'invincible', but people who give in after one minute are 'powerless.'

The problem is that Paqui's 'high voltage' chips has seriously high levels of capsaicin - the main component of some pepper sprays.

Capsaicin content in food is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU).

To give you an example, a Bell pepper has 0 SHU, while a Cayenne Pepper could have 30,000 to 50,000 SHU, and a Ghost pepper has one million SHU.

Now, the Paqui chip contains Carolina Reaper pepper and Scorpion peppers, which can each contain up to two million SHU. So, putting one of those in your mouth is definitely not going to be the most pleasant sensation.

Eating foods with high levels of capsaicin like this can typically cause mouth irritation, pain, or burning, along with intestinal discomfort, according to Poison.org.

Paqui

It can also lead to some far more serious health problems, though, like chest pain, heart palpitations, and even heart attacks.

If you're consuming larger amounts of capsaicin, you could also suffer from repeated vomiting that can lead to life-threatening oesophageal damage.

So this probably isn't the kind of challenge you should take lightly.

Obviously aware of the dangers involved, Paqui has served a stark warning to anyone thinking of taking part in their food challenge, stating: “Do not eat if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, nightshades, or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions. Keep out of reach of children."

They also urge people to wash hands with soap and avoid touching eyes or other sensitive areas after touching the chip, and seek medical assistance if you experience difficulty breathing, fainting, or extended nausea.

So, in summary, if you weren't sure whether or not this challenge was worth it, it probably isn't. If you want to go viral, maybe just stick to the TikTok dances for now.

Topics: Food And Drink, News, Brooklyn Beckham

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon