Post created by Emily
I don't know about you, but during quarantine I have been spending a lot more time on my phone (not proud of this), and I have been coming across some eating competition videos. They're disgusting, but I can't seem to stop watching people. How does one fit so much food in their stomach when it can really only expand to hold a quart of food (which is still a lot)?
Joey Chestnut holds the record for most hot dogs (69) consumed in 10 minutes. The digestive system was not created to endure this much food in such a short time, so here's why competitive eaters are able to do it:
This all starts in the oral cavity where their bite must be significantly stronger. This is done by training the masseter muscle by chewing multiple sticks of gum at once.
When in the esophagus, normally the food would be moved down the esophagus by peristalsis, but competitive eaters use the valsalva maneuver to push the food down faster with an increase in thoracic pressure. Sometimes they also jump up and down to use gravity to their advantage. Finally, we get to the stomach which can usually hold about a liter of food. competitive eaters like Chestnut have train their bodies to ignore the nature cues that tell you you're full. They slowly stretch out their stomachs until they can hold about 4 liters. Imagine how long it would take to digest all that!
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