Revolting tactics used to win hot dog eating contest Nathan's is revealed after this year's championship in NYC
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at its restaurant on NYC 's Coney Island boardwalk, is the Super Bowl of competitive eaters, and returning champ Joey Chestnut holds the world record for eating 76 frankfurters in buns in just ten minutes in 2021.
While many people might think that makes champions like Chestnut and other contestants fast chewers, studies and pro eaters have revealed that downing that number of hot dogs has little to do with actually chomping the food fast - it's all about learning how to swallow properly while chewing less.
Moreover, competitive eaters actually train their stomachs to hold that much food at one time without setting off the body's nausea reflex, to allow the eater's stomach to expand by ten to 15 times and hold more than four liters of food (over 50 hot dogs).
As for how the famous competitive eater does it, Chestnut focuses on a unique training program of swallowing air, burping, and lubricating his throat.
Chestnut told the New York Post: 'I do burping exercises where I swallow air and burp it up just to get those muscles used to being stretched.'
'Usually I'm in bed before 9pm, wake up about 5am, and start doing stretches and yoga and burping exercises to get my stomach loose and stretched after sleeping.'
Along with stretching out his stomach and throat muscles, Chestnut revealed he also drinks plenty of aloe vera juice to make sure all the hot dogs slide down safely as he rapidly swallows them.
Meanwhile, consuming drinks like milk and water, and low-calorie foods such as vegetables help the wiener eaters to stretch out their stomachs while preparing for these major eating events.
Chestnut said: 'I do drink milk like a big baby. I'm a believer that if your body can digest milk, it's great for you. Every now and then I'll drink half a gallon of milk in the morning with some water. That's a nice healthy stretch.'
However, once the contest begins, the focus shifts from the size of the contestant's stomach to their ability to get food down their throat fast.
Last year, Chestnut told Food & Wine: 'Swallowing is one of the most important things in competitive eating.'
Elite eaters try to reduce chewing to the bare minimum needed to break food into manageable masses for swallowing.
Their goal is to shift the workload from the jaw and teeth to the throat and esophagus so they can start chewing up another hot dog - like a human conveyor belt.
As plenty of viewers of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest have seen, the competitors also famously dunk their dogs in water.
Although that makes them pretty disgusting to eat, dunking the buns softens them up to reduce the need for chewing and allows it to slide down the throat easier.
While professional eaters may swear by their secrets to success, studies have found that there are plenty dangers that go along with these eating techniques.
A 2007 study by Dr David Metz at the University of Pennsylvania found that rapid eating can lead to temporary gastroparesis, a condition where the stomach struggles to contract and pass food. This can lead to bouts of nausea or vomiting.
The researchers also found prolonged stomach stretching may lead to long-term issues like obesity or permanent damage if not managed carefully.
The high sodium content in each hot dog can cause temporary water retention and dehydration if the competitors don't hydrate properly before and during the contest.
That's why you'll always see plenty of cups of water on the contest tables. It's best to avoid sugary beverages such as soda and sports drinks, too, because they can spike blood sugar levels and lead to an energy crash while eating.
Perhaps most obviously, there's also the risk of choking, especially since the competitors are unable to breathe through their mouths while shoving all that food in.
Last year, Chestnut said: 'I have to sneak in breaths through my nose. So I exhale and I swallow, swallow, swallow, then I inhale and I swallow, swallow swallow. It's this block breathing and I keep a rhythm.'
As for how many hot dogs the human body can possibly eat, a 2020 study published in Biology Letters revealed that 83 hot dogs is likely the limit, just seven more than the current record.
The research analyzed 39 years of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest data to estimate the theoretical maximum active consumption rate for humans, finding it's about 832g per minute, or about 83 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes.
According to a survey of over 2,000 Americans, commissioned by CanadaCasino, Montana is the country's hot dog-eating capital, with the average resident eating 17 every month, around 204 every year - nearly three times the national average.
Wyoming came in second, with locals eating 13 every month, followed by Delaware, where the average resident eats 11 a month.
Overall, the survey found the average American eats seven hot dogs every month - about the same number champion Chestnut shovels down in one minute!
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