What Happens When You Eat 74 Hot Dogs?

Millions are celebrating Joey Chestnut’s record-setting performance at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, where he gobbled down 74 franks in just 10 minutes. But their cheers are misguided.

The World Health Organization classifies hot dogs and other processed meats as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning there is sufficient evidence linking them to cancer. In fact, studies have shown that eating just 50 grams of processed meat—roughly the size of one hot dog—each day can increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 21 percent. That particular form of cancer claims the lives of more than 50,000 Americans every year.
But what happens in the immediate aftermath of a competitive eater’s feast on franks? Join “The Weight Loss Champion” Chuck Carroll and Karen Smith, R.D., to find out. But be warned, the answer isn’t pretty.