The "dry scooping" challenge has gotten big on TikTok and it's something to steer clear of.
The challenge consists of people taking a scoop of pre-workout, dumping it into their mouth, and then washing it down with water. This can prove to be dangerous for people since there is no time for the powder to dilute into the water before consumption.
Health care professionals are warning that this challenge could be especially dangerous for someone who has undiagnosed coronary artery disease, a reduction in blood flow to the heart, or could trigger an underlying arrhythmia, which is when the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. In more obvious cases, you can choke if you try to swallow too much of any powdery substance like pre-workout.
A young woman was already rushed to the hospital for symptoms of a heart attack after trying the challenge for herself. She suffered a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). It's typically less damaging to your heart because the artery to the heart isn't completely blocked off, but it's still dangerous.
Another woman stopped breathing after trying to swallow a big scoop of pre-workout for the challenge. There's a possibility she was having a laryngeal spasm.
Bottom line... stay away from this TikTok challenge.