Nutritionist reveals how the TikTok frozen honey development is making individuals in poor health
Uncovering the dangerous side of the TikTok trend towards frozen honey, a nutritionist warns that it can cause palpitations and dizziness, nausea and irritability in those who try.
The social media trend started by Dave Ramirez, 29, of California is for TikTok users to freeze honey in a plastic water bottle to form a jelly-like substance that can be squeezed out and bitten into.
Videos showing people making the sweet treat have been viewed more than 900 million times – with people also experimenting by adding corn syrup and food coloring to create colorful and satisfying images.
But Alice Cooper Nutrition’s London-based nutritionist Alicia Cooper, 30, has warned not to give it a try, telling FEMAIL: “When you flood your body with too much sugar, your pancreas is forced to release a large amount of insulin – a hormone that which is responsible for causing glucose to enter cells and remove it from the bloodstream.
“Too much sugar in the bloodstream (hyperglycemia) can damage blood vessels that supply vital organs, and you risk heart disease and nerve damage.”
“The large amount of insulin released could also lead to a condition known as ‘insulin shock’, where blood sugar levels fluctuate very quickly and lead to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).”
“Those who take the challenge may experience an initial sugar high, but shortly afterwards it crashes, making them dizzy, nauseous, irritable, and palpitations.”
With nearly a billion views, the trend quickly shifted to other flavors, but in doing so, the creators quickly realized that the taste of honey was difficult to mix, so they started using corn syrup, a product restricted by production in the UK is quota.
The Californian Dave Ramirez started the trend towards partially solid frozen honey in a TikTok video
Soon after, those who participated in the trend began to report nausea and diarrhea.
What is diabetes and is it common in the UK?
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar levels to get too high.
There are two main types of diabetes:
– Type 1where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells.
– Type 2where the body is not making enough insulin or the body cells are not responding to insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 diabetes.
In the UK, around 90 percent of all adults with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
The risk of type 2 diabetes can be reduced through a healthy diet, regular exercise, and achieving a healthy weight.
The main symptoms of diabetes include: being very thirsty, urinating more often (especially at night), being very tired, losing weight, and losing muscle mass.
Source: NHS
Eloise Fouladgar, who has more than 3.6 million followers on the social media platform, told the New York Times her boyfriend felt sick immediately after trying her creation.
If there is corn syrup in it, Alice warns that it could end up being even more harmful than honey.
“Corn syrup is a processed form of sugar that is very high in fructose and is absorbed faster than regular sugar,” she added.
“It’s also cheaper and sweeter.
“Consuming a normal serving size of corn syrup (about a teaspoon to a tablespoon) would not be harmful to your health – but consuming a large amount in a short period of time could potentially shock the body and lead to various undesirable side effects.”
She also explained that honey is better than corn syrup because it has a lower glycemic index – a measure of how quickly carbohydrate foods like fruits, cereals, and baked goods raise blood sugar levels.
“Honey contains a mixture of fructose, glucose, sucrose and about 15-17 percent water.
“It’s also a source of vitamins and minerals.
“As such, it has a slightly lower GI (Glycemic Index) than regular table sugar.
“The glycemic index measures how quickly a carbohydrate increases blood sugar levels.
“By comparison, honey has a GI index of 58 and corn syrup is sky high at 90+ – so this TikTok trend with corn syrup could definitely be considered worse than honey.”
Alice isn’t surprised that TikTok users reported diarrhea as she explains that large amounts of fructose can lead to a laxative effect.
“The reason for this is that when the digestive tract is exposed to excessive sugar (especially fructose) it can lead to incomplete fructose absorption – which leads to a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, gas, and nausea.”
Nutritionist Alice Cooper (above) warns trend participants that frozen honey and corn syrup can have undesirable side effects very quickly
“Other symptoms that may appear with this trend can include: headaches, migraines, tremors, dizziness, mood swings, hunger, constipation, palpitations – the list goes on.”
Regarding the possible long-term effects of this trend, Alice advises that a variety of problems can arise when people ingest too much sugar.
“Weight gain, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, neuropathy, chronic inflammation are all at risk, not to mention rotten teeth.
She advises people who are addicted to such trends to do careful research in the future.
“Trusting everything you see on social media can be dangerous and have serious consequences for your health. Find out about the effects before trying anything like this.”
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