The Latest Big Trend Is Something Called “Dry Scooping”, But It Is More Dangerous Than…

Dry scooping is a strange new social media challenge that has taken over TikTok. Additionally, it’s making some people severely sick which is worrisome for medical specialists.

One of the newest “wellness” trends making waves on social media is gulping down mouthfuls of dry preworkout powder. A “preworkout” is a supplement that some athletes use before training to improve their performance.

There are several preworkout supplements available with various formulae, but many of them contain B vitamins, amino acids, large levels of caffeine, and other (often dangerous) chemicals. Usually, it is packaged as a powder with instructions to combine it with water.

Enter the “dry scoop” challenge, which has spurred TikTok users to consume the substance whole without first diluting it with liquid.

However, numerous TikTok videos and news articles claim that the habit puts people’s health in danger.

Some people cough, the majority gag at the taste, and at least one woman claimed to have had a heart attack, according to BBC.

A fitness influencer who followed up four dry scoops with another four scoops mixed with water was described in Miami as having dangerously high blood pressure and brain edema when she went to the emergency room. Miami reported that another woman who had dry scooping looked to be having respiratory problems.

Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., the co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Center and a toxicologist who specializes in emergency care said,

“There’s a couple of very significant concerns that I have about this challenge” Dr. Johnson-Arbor said, the dry scooping craze is similar to the cinnamon challenge from years ago, which resulted in numerous calls to Poison Control. If more people try dry scooping, more people are likely to experience health scares. “I believe people need to exercise extreme caution with this.”

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Sources: Awm, Bbc, Miamiherald