The "Cinnamon Challenge" Could be Deadly

The cinnamon challenge is another way that teenagers have found to entertain themselves. The challenge is you swallow a tablespoon of dry cinnamon in sixty seconds, and although you might think that cinnamon couldn't be that dangerous, doctors say that playing the game could be deadly.

It doesn't help that some pro basketball players posted videos of themselves playing the cinnamon challenge. More children are trying the game and ending up vomiting or coughing, and in the worst circumstances, inhaling the cinnamon into their lungs and developing pneumonia or other breathing problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 88% of phone calls in the first three months of 2012 were from people who had played the cinnamon challenge. Although only 25% of those who called with problems needed medical help, the game is particularly dangerous for those people who suffer from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

If monitoring alcohol and drug abuse weren't enough, now parents are going to have to keep an eye on the spice cabinet, too. Doctors urge parents and caregivers to talk to teenagers about the dangers of the cinnamon challenge and explain that a seemingly silly game can result in some serious health consequences.