Most trends are deadly, whether that be in a physical way or in a way that slowly chips away at self-esteem; they are. While some last only a few days and others last for years, it seems that this trend may be here to stay, and it’s dangerous.
Mukbangs have absolutely taken the world by storm, with thousands of different creators posting themselves eating as a full-time job. Although there isn’t a specific moment in time when this became a trend, it has always been dangerous. The average adult should be eating around 2,500 calories a day in three meal increments. Mukbangers, on the other hand, sometimes eat as much as 10,000 calories in one sitting, though this isn’t even a healthy increment for one day spread out in different meals; it is especially alarming that they are eating it all in one serving in the span of sometimes only an hour.
Due to these alarming facts, there have been people who have sadly passed. NDTV World reported on March 12, 2025 that Efecan Kultur had a frightening experience that ultimately led to his death, and it was particularly frightening because he was only 24 years old. March 7, 2025, Kultur died due to “obesity-related complications.” Pan Xiaoting, according to Cassidy Moorison written under the Daily Mail, was also a known Mukbanger who died during a 10-hour-long eating binge. Lastly, Mahmoud Elmazaty reported under The Peninsula that Manoy Apatan was a mukbanger in the Philippines who passed away after having a stroke while completing a mukbang video. I firmly believe that these deaths could have been prevented. The people who died could have made a bigger impact than they did in the world but the world never gave them the chance.
These were people, people who could’ve lived a normal and full life if it weren’t for the gluttony produced on the internet. There is no way around the dangers of over-eating and mukbangs. Though there are people out there who are able to enjoy making these videos, healthily not everyone can or does. It’s important to spread awareness of this unsafe trend because everyone deserves to live a happy, healthy life.
