What’s the Scoop? Potential Harms of Dry Scooping Trend Trends can be exciting to try but may have harmful effects to your health. You may have seen the recent viral trend of dry scooping on social media, which is scooping pre-workout or electrolyte powder directly into your mouth instead of mixing it with liquid. While it may seem like a fast way to get your pre-workout powder, it can be life threatening. What Are You Scooping? Pre-workout powder often contains caffeine, some other stimulants, and various vitamins and minerals to give you an energy boost before a workout. Electrolyte powders contain vitamins and minerals to supplement what you sweat out during intense physical activity. That may not sound harmful, but you won’t know what’s in these powders unless they’re third-party certified. To ensure what you’re consuming is actually what you think it is, verify the product and ingredients through Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS). Some supplements are safe, but there are also some very harmful products on the market. Negative Effects of Dry Scooping Heart Health Dry scooping rapidly introduces large amounts of caffeine to your system, which can lead to a major strain on your heart. Spikes blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones. Heart attacks may happen in seemingly healthy people. Blood clots can form. Lung Health Inhaling a scoop of dry powder, especially without any liquid, can cause damage to your airway. Choking and asphyxiation (i.e., suffocation). Lung damage from inflammation and possible infection. Worsened symptoms and flare ups for existing pulmonary conditions (e.g., asthma). Gut Health Certain chemicals in pre-workout and electrolyte powders irritate the gut without proper dilution in a liquid. Chemical burns in the digestive tract. Ulcers can form from exposure to undiluted powders. Limited blood flow and injury to the large intestine. Additional long-term health concerns include sleep disturbances, liver and kidney damage and chronic anxiety. Dry scooping is not only dangerous but can lead to serious injury and possible death. Impact on Readiness As a Warfighter, being physically fit is necessary for being operationally ready. You may think dry scooping pre-workout or electrolyte powder is a faster way to get what you ‘need’ while exercising but it can put your health and career in danger. If you use these powders, it’s imperative to your health and the mission that you remain fit to fight. Make smart decisions that don’t jeopardize your hard work and accomplishments. Heart attack, choking and injury are not worth the quick energy boost from a dry scoop. Buyer Beware: How to Make Safe Decisions First and foremost, you can get all the energy you need from a balanced eating plan. Focus on fueling your body with nutrient-rich foods and staying hydrated before reaching for supplements unless directed otherwise by your care team. If you do use supplements, here are some tips for staying safe: Look for third-party tested certification. This ensures you are not at risk of testing positive on a urinalysis test and the ingredients are what they claim. Use OPSS to find out what’s in your supplements, what to avoid and to identify legitimate third-party certifiers. Be cautious of marketing terms. Sometimes brands use “proprietary blend” instead of sharing the full ingredient list, and this can easily hide unsafe ingredients. Understanding what you’re consuming is important for your health and military career. As a service member, you are responsible for knowing that you are not taking a prohibited ingredient in a dietary supplement. Follow instructions for use. Dry scooping can be extremely dangerous. If you use these pre-workout and electrolyte powders, only use third-party certified products. Properly dissolve the powder in a liquid before use. Watch out for caffeine. The recommended daily limit is 400mg for most adults, and many people are already getting caffeine in their regular beverages (coffee/energy drinks). Pre-workout powders often contain very high caffeine levels, so it is important to be mindful of how that much total caffeine you are getting because this can negatively impact your health. Though it may sound cool to dry scoop, there is nothing exciting about its possible harmful effects. If your goal is to get in a good exercise session and you use pre-workout or electrolyte powder, make sure they are third-party certified and use as instructed on the packaging. Engaging in healthy behaviors like staying active, eating balanced meals, getting enough sleep and reducing stress are all beneficial, but they do not protect you from the potential harmful effects of dry scooping. Stay mission ready and exercise safely! ReferencesCleveland Clinic - “Dry Scooping: What to Know About This Pre-Workout Trend”Cleveland Clinic - “Pre-Workout: What Does It Really Do?”Operation Supplement Safety - “Operation Supplement Safety”Pallangyo, P. et al. - “Acute myocardial infarction following “dry scooping’ of a pre-workout supplement in a healthy young man of African origin: A case report”Wicoff, D. et al. - “Systemic review of the potential adverse effects of caffeine consumption in healthy adults, pregnant woman, adolescents, and children”
