Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

How many hot dogs can a person eat in 10 minutes?

You shouldn't try this at home.

Fermin Koop by Fermin Koop
July 17, 2020
in Discoveries, News, Research, Science

In the race to eat as many hot dogs as possible in just ten minutes, competitive eaters may actually have a limit. A study looked at almost 40 years worth of Nathan’s Famous Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest and showed that the maximum is 83 franks, buns and all.

Credit Wikipedia Commons

Every Fourth of July renowned competitive eaters descended on New York City to compete in the famous hot dog eating contest, which first started in the 1970s. The event was different this year, as only 10 people competed due to the pandemic. Still, Joey Chestnut won with a new world record, eating 75 hot dogs.

It might seem impressive but he could have eaten more. Researcher James Smoliga, a physiologist at High Point University in North Carolina, was watching the competition and came up with the idea of applying mathematical equations used to estimate the limits of athletic performance to feats of gluttony.

Looking at data from 152 competitors over 39 years, obtained from Nathan’s website and from personal records, Smoliga calculated an upper hot dog limit of about 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Eating as many hotdogs translates to a consumption rate of about 832 grams per minute and more than 23,000 calories in total.

Smoliga graphed the winning active consumption rate (ACR), which he defined as “the mass of food consumed in a given active feeding time period” by year. He also took into account the observed trend that athletic records frequently progress in an S-shaped (or sigmoidal) pattern over time.

In the beginning, progress tends to be slow with records not increasing by much. However, as a sport grows in popularity, at some point, athletes bring new techniques, approaches, and talents, resulting in a period of rapid improvement. This pushes records up higher in an accelerated fashion.

Record performances in sports like track and field have improved about 40% since record-keeping began, whereas hot dog-eating prowess has improved approximately 700%. Competitive hot dog eaters have a consumption rate that’s actually higher than grizzly bears and coyotes, according to Smoliga, though wolves lead the pack.

Eating large quantities of food quickly can be a useful strategy for carnivores when food is scarce. Smoliga argued humans’ capacity for a relatively high consumption rate may have proved useful at some point in our evolutionary past. But that’s not likely the case now, with eating many hotdogs in a small period of time just leading to digestive problems – or a prize at Nathan’s.

The study was published in Biology Letters.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Tuberculosis in Europe is in decline but every 2 minutes 1 person is still diagnosed with TB
  2. Eating a hot dog could shave 36 minutes off your lifespan
  3. It takes just six minutes for a dog to die in a hot car
  4. 1 in 10 veggie hot dogs contain meat, sprinkled with some human DNA
  5. How hot is too hot for the human body? It’s probably less than you think
Tags: hot dog

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW