Cinnamon challenge why is it difficult

If it gets into your lungs, it stays there and can cause inflammation, thickening of lung tissue, and scarring. It can even cause pneumonia or a collapsed lung. Cinnamon also can trigger asthma flare-ups , making it hard to breathe. The unlucky ones end up in the hospital. Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD Date reviewed: May Note: All information on KidsHealth is for educational purposes only.

For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. All rights reserved. Find a Doctor. About Us. Community Programs. California Kids Care. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers AAPCC , about 88 percent of phone calls in the first three months of to the nation's poison control centers were related to the "cinnamon challenge. Although only 25 percent of those calling needed hospital attention, the challenge can be especially dangerous for those with breathing problems like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD.

Glatter says the reason why most people can't swallow that much cinnamon has to do with the spice blocking glands that create saliva. He explains that when you eat food and need to swallow, your saliva helps lubricate the food down your esophagus and into your digestive system. But, teens might have a hard time listening to her cautionary tale when adults, like Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois are attempting the challenge themselves.

He successfully was able to swallow the cinnamon after chewing for a few seconds and then taking a small swig of water. Actually, well, that's all it is. Some people are able to swallow the cinnamon without looking like they want to die.

Most are not. From my experience, those who get it down must be using something like McCormick convenience-store cinnamon, stale and weak.

Fresh ground cinnamon, while I can't tell a difference in recipes, is immensely more volatile when coating your entire oropharynx. After seeing a person try to eat a spoonful of cinnamon and then retch in agony, the apparently instinctual reaction is to want to try it yourself, as the 51, videos suggest. Judy Schaechter, and Dr. Cinnamon is ground tree bark, and it doesn't belong in anyone's lungs. That's my disclaimer: The cinnamon challenge has nothing at all to recommend it.

That said, anything you put in your mouth can potentially end up in your lungs. Everyone occasionally inhales particulates. We have no human research trials to attest to the danger of eating cinnamon; the scare is based on an increasing number of calls to poison control centers. Meanwhile g oing into full-on terror mode about the cinnamon challenge is itself a hazard.

All of the aforementioned articles mention that the cinnamon challenge causes things like coughing, vomiting, "and even collapsed lungs.