Takeru Kobayashi, winner of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest six times, has declared his retirement from competitive eating to encourage others to “live a healthy and long life.” In the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Health—The Secrets of Your Gut,” Kobayashi voiced his worries about the harm that highly processed foods had inflicted on him.
One of his worries is that the 46-year-old’s appetite and sense of smell have diminished. He hopes that by retiring from competitive eating, he will be able to undo the harm it did to his body.
The New York Post adds that the 46-year-old Kobayashi’s brain scans were examined in the documentary, and the results showed that regions of the brain associated with nausea are triggered whenever the 46-year-old sees food. “Your brain still thinks you’re in a competition, in a state of eating highly processed food,” neuropsychologist Annie Gupta told him.
Although hot dogs were his specialty, Kobayashi has competed in eating challenges, including pizza and hamburgers, on more than one occasion. Playing the role of “TV Champion” on the Japanese reality program in 2000 was the turning point in his career. His impressive eating habits were on display when he devoured 60 sushi platters, 2.7 kg of potatoes, and 16 bowls of ramen all in one sitting on that episode.
Kobayashi expressed concern that ignoring his hunger cues may have caused him to make a mistake. But he’s not completely given up food just yet; he’s hoping to make the most of this setback by developing a hot dog recipe that uses healthier components.
Maybe he’s full…
If it has healthier components, it is NOT, by definition, a hot dog!
Although it is always somewhat impressive to be the best in the world at something, competitive eating is something I never understood.
Al – Yeah, I never understood the appeal of conspicuous gluttony either.
How do you make a healthier hotdog? Make it out of textured soy protein, yuck. I have never understood all the gluttony involved in these over- eating contests. And we’re only about 6 or 7 weeks away from Joey Chestnut eating another 70 hotdogs in less than 10 minutes. I doubt if I eat 70 hotdogs in a year. I’m waiting for the inevitable barfarama that could occur anytime one of these pigfests is broadcast, someday one of these idiots is going to lose it and puke his or her guts up on live TV. Or go full Mr. Creosote and Lardass from Stand By Me combined.
geoff – we don’t either, but when we do we have Hebrew Nationals. They’re just good and probably the most healthy of the bunch.
Competitive eating… at some point it’s gonna catch up to him. As the body get older the threshold for tolerance is gonna get crossed and somebody’s gonna have to give St. Peter a pretty stupid explanation –
St. Peter: “You did what???
The reduced fat Hebrew Nationals and Nathan’s hot dogs are my favorites.
Covid got him
geoff – We like Nathan’s too, but then we found out that Nathan’s hot dogs are manufactured by Smithfield Foods who sold out to China’s WH Group.
Harry And Geoff – For my money the best Hebrew National EVER is the “uncured” one with NO Nitrates at all . (Of course they’re not cheap)
Ironically he’s so skinny he looks hungry
Trader Joes sells the Hebrew National uncured hotdogs with no nitrates, and I will buy them on occasion. They are quite good and are one of the best hot dogs. They use celery salt instead of nitrates in their curing process.
Must have seen Biden trying to feed himself at the WH Correspondents’’ Dinner. That’ll make anybody lose their appetite.
“Use your chopsticks, not your fingers, Takeru-san. Remember, US President can’t even use a knife and fork.”
Remember, US President can’t even use a knife and fork.”
Not true. That stooge always eats his peas with a knife!
Hmm, Kobayashi…I know that name from somewhere…
Lard Ass – it just popped into my head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG1YxNQYMyQ
In related news, his tapeworm just announced it’s retirement.
Like a criminal saying “Don’t commit any crimes like I have and lead a healthy life by staying out of prison”.
@Cynic
Yep, without his trusty tapeworm, the fat will grow and grow on him. He’ll end up looking like a Sumo wrestler.
@Harry
I imagine he eats his peas with a knife – one at a time.