This year I’ve become more serious and dedicated about working out, but there are people who are far more into it than me with their workout powders, etc.
Many pre-workout powders are supposed to be mixed into a liquid and drank before going off to the gym. However, there is now a very alarming TikTok trend going around that involves “dry scooping.”
Yes, just as the name suggests, it’s a method of taking pre-workout powders but skipping the liquid. Instead, they are ingested by just pouring a scoop into your mouth and swallowing. Experts are warning that it is so incredibly dangerous to do this!
One woman even stopped breathing after trying the dry scooping challenge:
@bagels4everr Warning #preworkoutfail #fail #preworkout #chocking #chockinghazard
One woman – a young woman – even suffered a heart attack as a result of dry scooping. Briatney Portillo explained to BuzzFeed News how dry scooping gave her a heart attack when she was just 20 years old.
Portillo said, “After I took the pre-workout, I started to feel tingly and itchy all over my body, which wasn’t a good feeling, but I googled it and it said that was a normal side effect. … So I began to do my workout. I started to feel a heavy feeling in my chest and slight pain, but it wasn’t too bad. I thought it was maybe anxiety or a bad panic attack, so I decided to just ignore it and push through my workout.”
Her chest pain quickly paired with nausea followed by a feeling of light-headedness. She went home and took a shower, but later, she started sweating through her clothes. At that point, she knew something was wrong.
“Then my chest pain came back and this time it was more intense. The pain went to my back and to my left arm and my left arm went slightly limp, so I knew those were symptoms of a heart attack. I called 911 and the ambulance came,” Portillo recalled to Buzzfeed News.
Another reason this is so dangerous is that pre-workout powders aren’t FDA regulated, so there is no telling what exactly you’re ingesting. According to the Miami Herald, Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, warned that pre-workout powders “can be laced with banned substances like stimulants, steroids and other toxic ingredients. Many of these substances can increase risk for heart attacks, liver disease and other serious medical complications.”
Now, Portillo is warning others to be careful. “Being 20, I would’ve never assumed I’d get a heart attack from pre-workout. I just want people to be careful with what they’re consuming. Just because you see it online, even if it’s ‘fitness influencers’ doing it, doesn’t mean it’s safe. Being young doesn’t mean we’re invincible.”
According to BBC, researchers with a US medical conference are worried about the trend and plan to address its dangers at an upcoming event.
Have you ever taken pre-workout powder? Let us know!