A 33-year-old British man has died after eating a plate of ultra-hot chile sauce, leaving his family to wonder if the chiles did it. Andrew Lee died several hours after eating a plate full of pasta sauce made with chiles grown by his father, in a contest with a friend over who could consume the spiciest food. He reported feeling itchy before going to bed; his girlfriend found him dead the next morning.
But how likely is it that the chiles actually killed him? Last year, the magazine Mental Floss compiled links to several studies about spicy food and death. Apparently, at least eight children have died from chile aspiration - but that means they inhaled ground pepper, not that they ate it. An academic paper about the physiological effects of capsaicin (the compound that makes peppers spicy) suggests that the toxic human dose would be so high it would be almost impossible to consume via regular food. So I'm guessing that Lee died from an allergy to something in the sauce, or from an unrelated cause. But that hardly makes for a grab-you headline, does it.
9-30-2008 @8:52PM NMM911 said... As someone with a definite allergy to capsaicin-- even the smallest amount it could have been the peppers. After all, he said that he felt itchy. Anaphalaxis can kill.
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9-30-2008 @9:10PM Maggie said... It said that he felt itchy before he went to bed. This makes me think that he had a severe allergic reaction to the chili peppers.
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9-30-2008 @9:14PM isaenz said... Our son is affected by capsaicin if he "exercises." He suffered an exercise induced anaphalaxis by fast walking from his apartment to class on West Campus at TAMU. When the campus ambulance picked him up, his blood pressure was 60/0. He was lucky to get medical attention quickly. Maybe this man did something strenuous.
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9-30-2008 @9:26PM kai ferano said... It's funny how something pops up in the media at a time that you need it the most. I have R.A. and the other day I ate buffalo wings at a diner. The next 2 days I was almost symptom-free, so I decided to overload on spicy foods, even though they're not my favorites. Now I read this article -- whew!
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9-30-2008 @10:08PM Issac said... I do believe that both of the suggestions are highly possible. There are chances that this man is allergic- quite pecuiliar how the press did not include any of this information. About the strenous, I think the father should've been warned by a doctor about a condition... It could be a possible murder or mishap fluids in the soil where the peppers were grown. All situations are highly possible. The press should expand the subject into a wider range.
- Issac
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9-30-2008 @10:14PM Harry Hurt said... I consume about 2 ounces of Tobasco every day. Love it. Have some?
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9-30-2008 @10:27PM skate1822 said... chiles make me poop
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9-30-2008 @10:30PM Shirley said... MY BROTHER IS ALERGIC TO CHILE PEPPERS..I MADE HIM A MEXICAN MEAL YEARS AGO..AS HE HAD THE FIRST BIT, HIS FACE AND NECK TURNED BRIGHT RED AND HIS THROAT BEGAN TO SWELL..HE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED EATING AND FORTUNATELY HE WAS OKAY. I DREAD TO THINK OF THE OUTCOME, HAD HE IGNORED THE REACTION AND CONTINUED TO EAT AND FINISH THE MEAL.
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9-30-2008 @10:43PM Brad said... Scandal!!! Britney Spears's NEW sex tape! Here:
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9-30-2008 @10:55PM Andy said... So who won the contest?
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10-01-2008 @12:24PM tootsie said... I have a hunch that they will discover that he had an allergy to something that he used to make his "HOT SAUCE" and so caused his own death. Anyone that is that supid to even try to eat something that can be dangerous health wise is an arse.
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9-30-2008 @11:43PM BLUESDOG said... YES, Itchy would indicate an allergic reaction. Food poisoning often occurs when spices are combined, yielding a third unforeseen chemical, which can kill.
This case is not so odd as it may seem. Food poisoning also can cause drowsiness, causing one to fall asleep, instead of dealing with the onslaught of other symptoms. There are many common causes- some foods are poisonous to begin with; Take the Banana Daquiri- Bananas contain Formilin, which creates formaldehyde, when mixed with alcohol. The popular drink is in fact, very poisonous.
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10-01-2008 @12:11AM Iceshark said... That sounds like a very severe allergic reaction. However, some pepper sauces DO actually come with warnings that they should not be consumed in large quanity or by individuals with heart or respratory conditions. I've heard of some of the more 'gourmet' hot sauces that you actually have to sign a medical release just to purchase.
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10-01-2008 @7:54AM Sharon said... I'm allergic to Green and Red Bell peppers and pretty much any other colored Bell peppers. I get a horrible headache almost instantly and stomach upset for days. I always ask everywhere if they have bell peppers in the food and then I wont order it.
It doesn't make me think twice that something in the food he ate caused him to die in his sleep from shock.
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10-01-2008 @1:20AM Wolfster said... The sauce brands that have medical releases and are not for sale to minors do that mostly for publicity - hot sauce addicts love the element of so-called "danger." The worst most people can get from the hottest chiles are blisters; though they can be painful they are hardly deadly. I'm with the board consensus - the word wanted here is anaphylaxis. One minute you feel a little itchy, the next your throat is shut so tight you can't even breathe, let alone ask for help. It is more common than most realize among people who constantly eat too much of one food, and among allergens nightshade fruits are one of the more common groups.
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10-01-2008 @1:41AM Joe said... Sounds like an allergy to me, but I have almost keeled over from eating too hot peppers that took my breath away. However, since I have drunk many banana daquiris and am still alive, I must have tough innards.
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10-01-2008 @1:54AM Uncla Al said... All ethanol (drinking alcohol) turns into formaldehyde, as well as several other nasty compounds, when it breaks down in the human body. That's why you get a hangover, along with being dehydrated.
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