Doctors are warning people to refrain from taking the "Cinnamon Challenge" which, according to them causes severe case of lung damage, reports Yahoo.
The "Cinnamon Challenge" is an adult dare game which challenges people to swallow a spoon full of dry cinnamon. This results in choking and violent coughing and the dare is recorded and shared on YouTube. While this may sound like fun to some, doctors have sent out a warning asking people to refrain from taking up such challenges as they causes severe lung damage. The warning was issued through a study that highlights the serious health risks associated with the dare.
"Typically, a video reveals a group of adolescents watching as someone taking the challenge begins coughing and choking when the spice triggers a severe gag reflex in response to a caustic sensation in the mouth and throat," write Amelia Grant-Alfieri, from the Division of Pediatric Clinical Research, University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, and colleagues.
Researchers involved in the study stated that when the spice is used in moderate quantities, it is harmless, but when used in large quantities, it could prove to be very harmful, especially to the lungs. Cinnamon is made of cellulose fibers. If these fibers enter into the lungs, they can neither be biodegraded nor decomposed.
So far no studies on the effects of cinnamon exposure on humans have been conducted but studies on animals have shown that heavy doses of this spice are known to have deleterious effects, including granulomata, interstitial fibrosis, alveolar histiocytosis, alveolar lip proteinosis, and alveolar cell hyperplasia, says the report.
The authors conclude, "Given the allure of social media, peer pressure, and a trendy new fad, pediatricians and parents have a 'challenge' of their own in counseling tweens and teens regarding the sensibilities of the choices they make and the potential health risks of this dare."
The findings were published in the May issue of Pediatrics.
