Joey Chestnut remains hot dog eating champ. Here's how many calories he consumed during the event.
Another Fourth of July means another round of competitive hot dog eating — and lots of calories consumed.
After stormy weather delayed the men's portion of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Tuesday, Joey Chestnut maintained his winning title by consuming 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes at the event on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
Last year, Joey Chestnut claimed his 15th victory by devouring 63 hot dogs and buns. In 2021, he gained the title of hot dog eating world champion after setting a record of 76 hot dogs and buns.
The women's record is 48.5 hot dogs and buns, held by eight-time champ Miki Sudo. Sudo took first place this year with 39.5 hot dogs and buns.
Here's the nutrition breakdown from the latest weiner winner.
How many calories does Joey Chestnut consume?
According to the nutrition facts of Nathan's products, a serving size of one Original Coney Island natural casing beef frank contains 170 calories (according to the company's website; other varieties vary) and one of Nathan's restaurant style buns contains 130 calories.
That means for the 62 hot dogs and buns Chestnut gobbled down this year, the calories of the franks would have equaled 10,540 and the buns added another 8,060 calories — for a grand total of 18,600 calories consumed.
Last year, with 63 hot dogs and buns Chestnut consumed an even higher total of 18,900 calories. That's nearly six times the recommended daily average for a man his age and size.
For his record-setting year with 76 hot dogs and buns, his total would have reached a whopping 22,800 calories!
Nathan's natural casing beef franks also include 16 grams of total fat and 480 milligrams of sodium per dog — so one hot dog accounts for about 21% of your daily recommended values for each.
With 62 franks eaten this year, Chestnut's total fat and sodium intake equalled 992 grams and 29,760 milligrams, respectively.
Diets higher in sodium are associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, a major cause of stroke and heart disease.
How do competitive eaters consume so much?
A normal eater has a stomach that feels full after consuming about a liter or a liter and a half's worth of food, whereas competitive eaters learn to stretch and relax their stomachs to fit in more.
They do this by eating large amounts of low-calorie foods and liquids including water, diet soda, watermelon and cabbage.
The stretching does not go on indefinitely, however. As with any competition, there will be losers, and all competitive eaters will eventually reach their limit — and they might not feel too good afterwards.
The side effects of such enormous binges vary based on the individual and the food being eaten, but as CBS News has previously reported, side effects of competitive eating can include nausea, painful gas, vomiting, heartburn and diarrhea. More serious side effects could include choking, esophageal inflammation and potentially even stomach rupture.
In a statement to CBS News Monday, Major League Eating, the world body that oversees professional eating contests — including Nathan's Famous Hot Dot Eating Contest — says all of its events adhere to "strict safety protocols," including having an emergency medical technician present at events and ensuring participants are 18 years of age or older.
"Do not try speed eating [at] home," the group warns on its website.
Amy Kraft contributed reporting. This article has been updated to correct the amount of sodium in that hot dog variety.
