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Junk food aficionados gulped in worry this week when rapper Lil Xan revealed that he had landed in an ER after OD’ing on America’s No. 1 cult-favorite snack, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
“I was in the hospital. Not due to any drugs, but I guess I ate too many hot Cheetos,” said Noah Cyrus’ 22-year-old ex in a video post on Instagram. “I guess it ripped something in my stomach a little bit, so I puked a little blood.”
The harrowing report was enough to make anyone lose their munchies — and is now raising panicky questions about the safety of the popular spicy treat.
Dr. Edward Goldberg, a Manhattan-based gastroenterologist and internist in private practice, says overindulging on fiery foods can inflame the stomach lining and lead to bloody retching similar to Lil Xan’s, a fairly common condition called gastritis.
“Any irritant can cause gastritis,” Goldberg tells The Post — supersize servings of greasy, peppery corn crunchies included.
In most cases, however, diet is not the only factor at play.
“I think putting the blame on this food product is a bit of a stretch,” Goldberg says. “Yes, it could be irritation from the food. But without knowing what else is going on ... Without knowing that, I would be pretty hard-pressed to blame this on [Cheetos].”
Other factors known to cause or exacerbate gastritis include use of alcohol and nicotine, he says. Lil Xan has spoken out on facing sobriety challenges in the past; the rapper’s current sobriety status is unknown.
In addition to Flamin’ Hot Cheetos’ proprietary spice blend, potential stomach irritants in the snack’s ingredients list include citric acid and MSG, which can cause discomfort when eaten in large amounts on an otherwise empty stomach, according to the FDA. Parent company Frito-Lay did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Whatever the cause of his digestive woes, Lil Xan was smart to get checked out, Goldberg says. In rare cases, blood in vomit can be a sign of more serious conditions such as esophageal cancer.
This isn’t the first time ultra-spicy snacks have been implicated in serious illness, either. This past summer, a 17-year-old girl in Tennessee said she had to have her gallbladder removed after hitting the Hot Takis and Hot Fries too hard.
In that case, Goldberg says the snacks’ high fat content may have caused “stress” and inflammation to the bile-producing organ, especially if the teen’s intake was “abrupt.”
Pass the carrot sticks.
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