Gallon Challange

Authors note: This is a research paper on the Gallon Challenge.

 

Many people try to beat the gallon of milk contest but can’t do it and end up throwing up.  The real question is why can no one beat that challenge?  Is it the amount of milk?  Is it because it is milk?  Even though it sounds easy in the end it is truly not.

The gallon of milk contest, also known as milk chugging and the gallon challenge, is a hard task to complete.  In this challenge, a contestant has to drink a gallon of milk either in a certain limited amount of time or as fast as possible.  Most of the time people follow the simple rules of drinking the gallon of milk in 60 seconds without throwing up.  This challenge all started on season five, episode two, of the American television show ”Jackass.”   Also this challenge was used in the reality TV show “Inked.”  Now today high school students and college students carry on the challenge. 

Knowing the side effects of the gallon challenge why is it so hard to even do? Many studies have been done on why the challenge is so hard.  Sarah Ash, a professor of nutrition, says that “the reason people cannot complete this challenge is due to the limited capacity of the human stomach.”  She says that generally the stomach can hold a half gallon.  When the organ limit is met and exceeded, it triggers the vomit reflex.  Another study stated that there are three reasons why it is so hard; the lactose, calcium, and casein.  The human body can only process a certain amount of lactose at one time. Your body only has a certain amount of available lactase and during the challenge your body can become lactose intolerant.  According to the web site www.howstuffworks.com, the problem with calcium is that milk contains a lot of it – about 300 mg per 8-ounce glass.  A Tums chewable tablet contains about 200 mg of available calcium.  So in drinking a gallon of milk, it is like consuming 25 Tums tablets at one time.  That creates an imbalance of the acid level in the stomach, giving your stomach another reason to consider puking.

If milk is so hard are other liquids hard as well? Some of the times people try to use different types of liquids like soda, water, or beer.  According to the website www.howstuffworks.com “Too much water overloads the circulatory system and the kidneys, dilutes blood electrolytes, and can cause cells to swell, potentially causing brain damage or death.  A gallon of soda contains over 100 teaspoons of sugar and way too much caffeine  for your body to safely process. A gallon of beer would be 10 and a half 12-ounce cans. That is enough alcohol to put the blood alcohol level of a 175 pound male above 0.20 and render many people unconscious.” 

The gallon challenge is tried by millions and may look easier then it is even though it is nearly impossible.  People who try the gallon challenge usually end up getting bad stomach aches or throwing up.  Do you want to try to beat the odds?