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Man Dies After Eating Extra Hot Chilis
A British man was declared dead after getting into a chili-eating contest with his girlfriend's brother. Andrew Lee passed away after getting eating a sauce made of extra hot chilis. He dared his girlfriend's brother to eat it, but then ate it himself.
'We don't know what happened to him. Something has given him a cardiac arrest and we can only put it down to the chilli sauce.'Toxicology tests are under way to see whether Mr Lee had a fatal reaction to the sauce.
Attempts to develop ever hotter varieties of chilli pepper have been condemned by health experts, who warn of potentially lethal effects.
Mild adverse reactions can include burning eyes, a streaming nose and uncontrollable hiccups.
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Recommendations (29)

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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (43)
at 15:58 on September 29th, 2008
Wow! - the chili is small but mighty.
at 12:00 on September 29th, 2008
One of lifes decieving treasures...looks small, timid & mild yet is so vibrant in flavour & colour making outstanding photos
ifu03340 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 13:43 on September 29th, 2008
I love and dread the chilli's.
◄bl► has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:20 on September 29th, 2008
Chili by name, but fiery and red hot by nature...
xtype2500 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:38 on September 29th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 15:34 on September 29th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 17:14 on September 29th, 2008
Wow...killer chilli!
at 17:46 on September 29th, 2008
On one hand, you of course need to feel sorry for the individual and his family. On the other hand, it also seems to demonstrate a lack of good judgment. Eating or drinking far beyond one's normal limits is simply not an intelligent thing to do, your body is not designed for that.
Recently there was a case involving a radio station that had a content to see how much water a person could drink. A woman with children drank a huge quantity of water and then died due to an electrolyte imbalance.
So, I think the bottom line is, if you are going to engage in stupid, potentially dangerous activities, you need to understand the possible consequences.
at 17:48 on September 29th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. I can't even imagine the effect of a bottle of habanero chile, one of our strongest one, I cried and had a burning mouth, for a half an hour for using a teaspoon of it, not knowing it was habanero. How terrible.
at 19:29 on September 29th, 2008
I did some chilli pepper contest with real peppers but after reading this article I will think twice before ate a hot pepper again. Poor guy he just wanted to prove he was man enough to mess with a hot pepper sauce.
at 19:45 on September 29th, 2008
Tesco is now stocking the Dorset Naga, the hottest chilli in the world. Is this wise?
at 21:35 on September 29th, 2008
I tasted only a small amount of this and suffered for ages so decided to NOT use it in any meals. I just admire the beauty of the small purple flowers and the bright orange globes adorning the vine along the fence.
sandymac269 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 21:39 on September 29th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, amazing read. Keep it up.
at 22:24 on September 29th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 22:27 on September 29th, 2008
Just some super chillis I grew this summer. Only harmfull if the oils come in contact with your eyes or skin. Next year I'm just going with jalepeno and banana peppers since they have more use in my kitchen.
Robconoclast has contributed a photo to this story.
at 22:43 on September 29th, 2008
I don't think it was simply the heat of the chillies that killed him. The scratching that his girlfriend reported suggests an allergic reaction.
at 00:09 on September 30th, 2008
"'We don't know what happened to him. Something has given him a cardiac arrest and we can only put it down to the chilli sauce.' "
Huh? Is there a proven connection between eating chilli sauce and heart attacks? I would have thought a more obvious suggestion would be "people have heart attacks". The two events are not necessarily related.
baldywilson has contributed a photo to this story.
at 00:54 on September 30th, 2008
MartinH has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:42 on September 30th, 2008
these are not extra hot :)
afkatja has contributed a photo to this story.
at 03:10 on September 30th, 2008
That's what happens when your not completely responsible and make contest that put lives in danger... RIP
andrediaslopes has contributed a photo to this story.
at 03:14 on September 30th, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 04:41 on September 30th, 2008
hot stuff..!
gavinkruk2008 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 05:14 on September 30th, 2008
Growing my own personal "kick". Go easy on the sauce!
nancydarke has contributed a photo to this story.
at 05:15 on September 30th, 2008
Remember everyone "a LITTLE bit" of what you fancy does you good.
at 03:21 on October 1st, 2008
In my opinion there is definately a link between the chillis he ate and the heart attack he suffered.
I recently discovered that I have a chilli allergy. It seems I developed my allergy by eating increasingly hot curries over a sustained period of time (yep I was one of those guys who had to order the hottest food where ever I went).
About a year ago I started suffering from very prickly skin - mainly on my back, this would drive me to distraction when trying to sleep... a little while later the palpitations started, only occasionally but usually just when I was drifting off to sleep. At this point I had not linked my love of the fiery spice to these symptoms, so I visited my local health clinic where they ran a few tests to see if there were any problems with my heart, they said there were none, but still the palpitations continued.
It was only after I realised that these symptoms were particularly bad after a hot curry that the penny dropped. I've now not touched my favourite dish for over 6 months and the symptoms have completely gone. I fear if I hadn't realised what was happening and had ignored the signs, this could have happened to me.
at 10:37 on October 1st, 2008
I have never heard before of a man dying of eating chilli peppers!!My picture above is of extremely hot peppers known as Scotch Bonnets. They are easily available here in Uganda. I would not recommend them unless you are experienced in trying out hot peppers unless you blend them with other spices, like make a sauce or a chutney.
nirsha has contributed a photo to this story.
at 12:30 on October 1st, 2008
Capsaicin is found in Chilli.
This comes from Wikipedia:-
"Capsaicin is also the active ingredient in riot control and personal defense pepper spray chemical agents. When the spray comes in contact with skin, especially eyes or mucous membranes, it is very painful, and breathing small particles of it as it disperses can cause breathing difficulty, which serves to discourage assailants.
In large quantities, capsaicin can cause death.[18] Symptoms of overdose include difficulty breathing, blue skin, and convulsions. The large amount needed to kill an adult human and the low concentration of capsaicin in chilies make the risk of accidental poisoning by chili consumption negligible."
I think too much of anything is always bad. I must say I do do the odd Chilli dare but I always take a glass of milk with me. This news may make me be a bit more careful.
at 14:38 on October 1st, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. Sadly, most people do not know how to handle these wonderful little flavor makers. First, put your pepper of choice on a cookie sheet under your broiler for about a minute. Then, drop the peppers into a bowl of ice water. This will allow you to skin them with relative ease. Using latex or other protective gloves is probably best for most people, though a thorough washing with a degreaser (the Capsicum is in an oil...) should be sufficient. After peeling the peppers, open them up with a SHARP knife, (most people cut themselves with knives that are NOT sharp enough for the job...), then remove the seeds and membrane. ( There's still fire in the pepper, but alot of the bitter pure heat goes away with the seeds and membrane...) Chop the rest and use to taste. You'll find the REAL difference in peppers is flavor...you'll quickly find the type of pepper and level of heat you prefer WITHOUT risking your stomach OR life.
at 00:24 on October 2nd, 2008
Rialto market, Venice
aitchmdee has contributed a photo to this story.
at 08:53 on October 2nd, 2008
Jon Azpiri, I like this story. It's good stuff. that's a sad story indeed. our cuisine is hot and spicy, and red as well as green chillies are vital for most dishes, but the lesson learnt should be that anything in access is bad...even lethal!