A nutritionist has revealed the dangerous side of the TikTok frozen honey trend, and has warned that it can cause palpitations and sensations of dizziness, nausea and irritability to those who try it.
The social media trend, initiated by 29-year-old Dave Ramirez of California, sees TikTok users freezing honey inside a plastic water bottle to form a gelatin-like substance that can be extracted and chop.
Videos showing sweets makers have been viewed more than 900 million times; people also experiment by adding corn syrup and food coloring to create colorful and satisfying images.
But London-based nutritionist Alicia Cooper, 30, of Alice Cooper Nutrition, has warned against trying, telling FEMAIL: “When you flood your body with too much sugar, your pancreas is forced to release a large amount of insulin, a hormone responsible for allowing glucose to enter cells and remove it from the bloodstream.
“Having too much sugar in the bloodstream (hyperglycemia) can damage the blood vessels that supply vital organs and pose a risk of heart and nerve disease.”
“The large amount of insulin released can also lead to a disease known as ‘insulin shock’ in which blood glucose levels fluctuate very rapidly and produce low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia).”
“Those taking part in the challenge may feel an initial level of sugar, but with a shock shortly afterwards, leaving them dizzy, nauseous, irritable and with palpitations.”
With nearly a billion views, the trend evolved rapidly to include other flavors, but in doing so soon the creators found that the taste of honey was difficult to mix, so they set about using syrup. of corn, a product restricted to the United Kingdom by a production. quota.
Californian Dave Ramirez started the trend of partially solid frozen honey in a TikTok video
Shortly afterwards, those involved in the trend began to report that they were feeling unwell and experiencing diarrhea.
Eloise Fouladgar, who has more than 3.6 million followers on the social media platform, told The New York Times that her boyfriend immediately felt ill after trying his creation.
When corn syrup is included, Alice warns that it can end up being more harmful than honey.
“Corn syrup is a processed form of sugar that has a high fructose content, which is absorbed faster than normal sugar,” he added.
‘It’s also cheaper and sweeter.
“When you consume a normal portion size of corn syrup (about a teaspoon to a tablespoon) it would not be harmful to your health, but consuming it in a large amount in a short amount of time can affect the body and cause various undesirable side effects. ‘
He also explained that honey is better than corn syrup because it has a lower glycemic index, a measure of how quickly carbohydrate-containing foods, such as fruits, grains, and baked goods, increase. glucose levels in the bloodstream.
Honey contains a mixture of fructose, glucose, sucrose and about 15-17% water.
‘It is also a source of vitamins and minerals.
“As such, it has a lower GI (glycemic index) than normal table sugar.
‘The glycemic index measures how quickly a carbohydrate raises blood sugar levels.
“In comparison, honey has a GI index of 58 and corn syrup is high at 90+, so making this TikTok trend with corn syrup could definitely be considered worse than doing it with honey. “
Alice is not surprised that the TikTok user has reported diarrhea, as she explains that large amounts of fructose can cause a laxative effect.
“The reason for this is when the digestive tract is exposed to excessive sugar (particularly fructose), it can cause incomplete absorption of fructose, which causes a number of gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain , flatulence and nausea “.
Nutritionist Alice Cooper (above) warns trend participants that frozen honey and corn syrup can cause adverse side effects very quickly
“Other symptoms that people may experience when experiencing this trend may also include: headaches, migraines, tremors, dizziness, mood swings, hunger, constipation, palpitations, the list goes on.”
Speaking of the possible long-term effects of this trend, Alice advises that if people take an excess of sugar often enough, it could lead to a lot of problems.
“Weight gain, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, neuropathy, chronic inflammation are at risk, not to mention tooth decay.
She advises that, in the future, people hooked on trends like this do careful research.
“Trusting everything you see on social media can be dangerous and have serious consequences for your health; be sure to read the implications before trying something like this.”