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The claim: Takis and hot Cheetos eat the stomach lining in young children
A claim with a history on social media has again gone viral after a warning posted to Facebook last year:
“IF YOU OR YOUR KIDS EAT TAKIS, READ THIS!” Ashley Kimberly wrote in December.
The post, which claims the spicy tortilla chips are toxic to the stomach, includes a picture of a sick-looking young child next to an image of a bag of Takis snacks. “He loved eating takis. They were his favorite treat. We would let him get them a few times a week,” the post reads.
Several other people posted the same text, with notes such as“If you have kids please read” and “If you and your kids eat Takis, read this.”
The post describes how the boy began vomiting intermittently in early July 2019. Different diagnoses were offered by medical professionalsuntil late November, when a primary care doctor said that not only were Takis responsible for the erosion of the boy’s stomach lining, they are also toxic to children and adults.
“He is on an expensive medicine now to heal his stomach. The insurance doesn’t cover it. Please I urge you to not let your little ones eat these things. (It’snot worth the pain it causes),” the post says.
The post is similar to a claim posted to social media in 2013, in which aphysician blamed Takis for a 10-year-old girl’s “extreme stomach distress” and a 16-month-old’s throat cancer, according to Snopes.
In 2017, a Facebook user posted an image of another post claiming Takis cause ulcers and a caption that says, “These chips are hurting and even killing our babies!”
Do spicy snacks eat away stomach lining?
“Flaming hot” snackscan increase the acidity level in the stomach, leading to aches and associated conditions, according to Fresno, California,pediatricianYvonne Suarez.
“I’ve had patients go to the ER because of it,” Suarez told the Fresno Bee in 2012. “It’s insane, absolutely insane.”
Stomach pains tied to a regular diet of Takis and hot Cheetos led togallbladder surgery for a Memphis, Tennessee,teen,though gallbladder problems are not associated withcertain foods, doctors said.
Melissa Ortiz, a Kaiser-Fresno dietitian, told Snopes thatchildren and teens eat too much of the spicy food in one sitting, causing stomach upset. At that point, “it’s not a snack, it’s a meal,” Ortiz said.
Urgent care doctors who were consulted about a cancer claim said, “No given case of cancer can be reliably attributed to one identifiable cause,” Snopes reported.
Cary Cavender, a gastroenterologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, said ultra-spicy snacks are to blamefor sendingabout 100 kids a month to her hospital.
“We do see tons of gastritis and ulcer-related stuff due to it,” Cavender said, as reported by USA TODAY in 2018.
EdwinMcDonald, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at University of Chicago Medicine,wrote in an article in 2018 that although spicy foods don’t cause ulcers,they can trigger stomach pain and other symptoms in some people.
“In people with inflammatory bowel disease (orIBD – Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), spicy foods can also trigger some symptoms,” McDonald wrote.
Amid the controversy, some schools labeledthe snacks “unhealthy” and “disruptive”andbanned them from campuses, USA TODAY reported.
In 2017, a 9-year-old girl received medical treatment for rashes, blisters, throatpain and difficulty swallowing associated with Takis “Fuego” corn chips, according to aFood and Drug Administration database.
What dosnack manufacturers say?
Takis are safe to consume in moderation, a firm representing manufacturer Barcel USA told Newsweek in 2018.
“Takis ingredients fully comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, and all of the ingredients in each flavor are listed in detail on the label. Always check the serving size before snacking,” Buchanan Public Relations said.
FritoLay, the manufacturer of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, said that although food safety is a priority, spicy snacks aren’t for everyone:”Some consumers may be more sensitive to spicy foods than others,” the company said in 2018, as reported by WREG News in Memphis.
Our Rating: Partly false
We rate this claim PARTLY FALSE,based on our research. Though it is true that spicy snacks can cause gastrointestinal distress, it is false to say they are toxic orcause cancer or ulcers.
Our fact-check sources:
- Snopes:Do Takis Brand Corn Chips Cause Ulcers and Cancer in Children?
- UChicago Medicine:A hot topic: Are spicy foods healthy or dangerous?
- Newsweek:Mother Claims Hot Cheetos and Takis Led to Teenage Daughter’s Gallbladder Surgery
- WREG News – Memphis:Memphis mother says hot chips to blame for daughter’s gallbladder removal
- Food and Drug Administration,CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System
- USA TODAY:Hot Cheetos and Takis under fire after snacking teen needs gallbladder removal
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