Is dry scooping dangerous?
There's a mixed reaction to the challenge. Ben Olin, the head coach at The Standard CrossFit, says he's done it for years and isn't against it. But doctors disagree. TOLEDO, Ohio  There's a trend making the rounds on social media, in which people eat a dry scoop of pre-workout or protein powder. It's called the "Dry Scooping Challenge." Videos on TikTok show people eating the dry mix without mixing it in water. Doctors claim it's unsafe, but there's mixed reactions among those who have done it. "It's been around for a while. I don't know why the trend is happening now. Probably the TikTok thing. TikTok makes everything dumb, cool," said Ben Olin, head coach and owner of The Standard Crossfit in downtown Toledo. "I guess it's a thing now, except it's been a thing for 10 years." But in some instances, it could be dangerous. Some people in the videos have even claimed it's given them a heart attack. "One of the concerns we have from a physiologic standpoint, one of them is that you're taking upwards of 3.5 times the normal amount of caffeine that you would get in a cup of coffee. That's a lot of jolt to the system and in some cases that could overstimulate the heart, leading to arrhythmia," said Family Medicine Dr. Todd Francis with ProMedica. Francis says you can also choke on it, because your body isn't intended to swallow the powder. Olin, who is a level 3 certified Crossfit trainer, says he's dry scooped for years and he's not necessarily against it. "I'm only speaking from my own personal experience and I'm not very susceptible to stimulants. So, for people who are susceptible to caffeine and other things like that, yeah it's probably not a real smart thing," said Olin. "The reason it's supposed to be mixed with water is to be a slow delivery cycle." But both the Crossfit gym owner and the doctor can agree there are better forms of improving your workout. "Slow and steady wins the race. You've got to eat a balanced diet. Some of you, people say eating things like fruits like bananas and other things that have some natural vitamin," said Francis. "Generally you don't need supplements. If you have a really well-balanced diet, you're getting all the nutrients that you need. Now if you have a long day or long weekend and you're maybe just needing a little placebo, and maybe some caffeine, then maybe that works," said Olin. Olin says the best outcome is knowing your body and what the possible effects may be.