Man Killed by Hot Pepper!!??

Watch this video to the end before eating a whole bhut jolokia


Man Killed by Hot Pepper

“A young man died after eating a super-hot pepper sauce as part of a competition with a friend.”

“Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest to see who could eat the spiciest sauce that he could create.”

“The fork-lift truck driver, who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father’s allotment. After eating it, however, he suffered intense discomfort and itching. The following morning he was found dead, possibly after suffering a heart attack.”

“He apparently got into bed at 2.30am and started scratching all over. His girlfriend scratched his back until he fell asleep. She woke up and he had gone. It is incredible. Who would have thought he could have died from eating chilli sauce? We don’t know of anything else that could have caused his death. The postmortem showed no heart problems.”

Source: The Times Online, September 29, 2008


Apparently the capsicum in chiles can harm or even kill people who have a vulnerability to it.

"Capsicum sprays and gels can potentially kill people who have a heart condition or a respiratory illness, as they can cause increased heart rate and restrict breathing." http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/14/1094927584068.html

Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to capsicum and can die from an overdose.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...55a4bb3926ad822

An overdose of wasabi can also be fatal. Years ago I heard about a new patron at a sushi bar who didn't know what the wasabi was for. He ate the whole ball of wasabi in one mouthful and died of a heart attack. A sushi chef I know (not connected with this incident) told me that too much wasabi can have a negative effect on the heart and respiratory system. He told me exactly what the wasabi does physiologically, but I don't remember it now (couldn't find the answer on the web, either). I guess I'll have to go out for sushi soon and ask him.


The article says that he was itching all over when he went to bed, to the point where his girlfriend scratched his back to help alleviate it. Clearly, this was a massive allergic reaction, but they didn't recognize that the itching was a symptom. Maybe the chilis, maybe something else.

I'm allergic to roasting chilis and peppers, to the point where my throat closes up. I almost went to New Mexico on vacation until I saw that they roast peppers all over the area in the Fall, when I was able to go. No point in dying on vacation...

He may have died from anaphylaxis, the result of ingesting (or be bitten by, or rubbing up against) something you're allergic to. I know that all you guys know what an epi-pen is. In his case it came on rapidly. It was from something he ate but had few symptoms until near the end. When I have a significant overdose to my allergy shots, I begin with a productive cough. I never get to the itching point because I recognize it and they give me O2 and an injection of a lot of epinephrine.

Any food can do it to someone. It sounds like he normally ate chiles, so this is probably not the cause. MomOfLittleFoodies, I've never seen peanut butter in chile sauce except for one origin: Africa. Morocco and other nations use "groundnut" in their recipes.

DJyee100, I have never experienced that and know of no cases, after reading the article.

Nibor -- your's sound much different than a systemic allergic reaction . . . can it be something like celiac disease is for wheat consumers?

And prawncrackers, you're probably right on the dorset naga (AKA bhut jolokia, and Naga jolokia). That one has been found (by chromatography) to be WAY hotter than the Red Savina habanero, which is around 600,000 Scovilles, compared to the Naga a million or more.


"The pain was exquisite," he said. "It was like having your tongue hit with a hammer. Man, it hurt. My tongue swelled up and it hurt like hell for days. "