Tag: Extreme sports

According to a 2025 market analysis, Red Bull holds a commanding 39% global market share, solidifying its position as the world's leading energy drink. The ubiquitous blue and silver cans are seen everywhere, but why is everyone drinking Red Bull and what drives this immense popularity?

According to a 2007 study published in the *American Journal of Roentgenology*, competitive eaters train to turn their stomachs into an “enormous flaccid sac,” allowing them to hold massive amounts of food. So, do competitive eaters stretch their stomachs? The answer is a definitive yes, and their methods are a mix of intense training and a suppression of natural bodily reflexes.

According to a 2007 study in the American Journal of Roentgenology, professional speed eaters risk developing profound gastroparesis, persistent nausea, and potentially even needing a gastrectomy. So, how unhealthy are professional eaters, and what price do they truly pay for their extreme sport?

An average adult requires approximately 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day, a stark contrast to the small number of individuals who need 8000 calories a day or more. This extraordinary caloric intake is necessary to fuel the bodies of those engaged in extreme physical activity, such as elite endurance athletes and strongmen, or those with specific medical conditions that dramatically increase metabolic demands.

Competitive eaters can train their stomachs to expand to an extraordinary degree, with some consuming vast quantities of water to increase elasticity. This ability, combined with learned techniques, is key to understanding how competitive eaters swallow food at an inhuman pace.