Aspiring social media stars looking for their next viral hit, “bee” careful.
There’s a new trend on TikTok that experts say may look sweet but has dangerous health risks.
It’s called the “#FrozenHoneyChallenge” and involves freezing a honey-filled water bottle for hours and then snacking on a hardened, but gooey stream as it oozes out.
Thousands of videos that have emerged on TikTok showing people taking the challenge have been viewed more than 900 million times.
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Is frozen honey bad for you?
Health experts say the seemingly tasty trend can have some not-so-sweet side effects including awful diarrhea, stomach cramping and bloating.
Although relatively small risks, the challenge can also be harmful to teeth by causing cavities and pulling out fillings. The risk for foodborne botulism also increases for those who take the challenge using raw honey.
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Consuming small amounts of honey is fine, but experts warn that devouring more than a fifth of a bottle can be a sugar overload.
"Honey is great, but having it in small amounts to sweeten is really a healthy relationship with food, and using it to get a lot of followers and a lot of attention and having it in excess amounts is crazy," said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic told NBC News.
“I feel sick now,” one person posted after taking several bites of the frozen honey rope.
“Brb gotta go get my stomach pumped,” another said in a video after tasting several versions of the frozen candy-like concoction.
Nutrition experts say that trying the challenge once will most likely only result in a stomach ache, but repeatedly doing so could produce more complicated health risks including weight gain and disordered eating.
