WARNING: Your Super Bowl Festivus Could Kill You!

Studies point to numerous health hazards associated with Super Bowl celebrations

AP – More than 10 years ago, George Costanza submerged the world into a delicious, creamy concoction of healthy controversy when he double-dipped a chip on national TV.  The act of dipping a chip, taking a bite, then going back to the dip with a half-eaten chip in hand is a widely used snacking strategy employed by people throughout the world.  Double-dipping does not discriminate, and it’s a public health hazard.  Or is it?  You be the judge.

Clemson professor Paul L. Dawson, a food microbiologist, was so intrigued by this exchange that he decided to investigate.  The results, to be published later this year in the Journal of Food Safety, found that it is a little bit like putting your whole mouth in the dip.  On average, three to six double-dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip in the bowl.  [sources 1 and 2] 

While this isn’t a major public health crisis yet, it is pretty gross.  And I drink water from a toilet, share a water dish with my friends, and often times will sit on the floor and lick my own butt for hours.  Regardless, this reporter has NEVER been known to double-dip a chip.  Yuck!

Even if you manage to steer clear of any Super Bowl party double-dippers, you are still in serious danger of a heart attack or other cardiac emergency, according to a study authored by Dr. Gerhard Steinbeck of Ludwig Maximilians University in Germany.  He and his colleagues present their results in next Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.  They studied thousands of Germany soccer fans and came to the conclusion that heart problems can be linked to game-day stress.  For example, this kid is a heart attack waiting to happen.  The doctors also blamed emotional stress for the heart problems, but they note that lack of sleep, overeating, wolfing down junk food, boozing and smoking might have played a role, too.  Read more about it here.

Luckily for our Wag the Dog publisher, he really doesn’t care who wins the Super Bowl, although he plans to cheer for the underdog New York Football Giants.  Not having a team to support on Sunday is good news for Mr. Stewart’s stress level, yet he’s still a slightly overweight man who likes loves his beer, doesn’t get much any sleep, has major issues with portion control when dining, and plans to set a new World Record for “number of chili dogs eaten on Super Bowl Sunday”.  On a positive note, he’s not a Marlboro Man, so he’s got that going for him.

Anyway, steer clear of double-dippers and Cheetos on Sunday.  Oh, and learn about the 10 Worst Chips Ever!

Remmy is our Senior Sports Correspondent and an avid dog park patron.  To protect his water dish from would-be double-dippers, Remmy often times submerges his entire head into the water bowl, leaving saliva and black dog hair floating on the surface of the water for the next dog to enjoy.