Experts warn of viral TikTok trend after influencer suffers heart attack

Health experts are warning against a popular fitness trend on TikTok called 'dry scooping' after an influencer revealed she had suffered a heart attack as a result.

'Dry scooping' is essentially swallowing pre-workout protein powder dry, then washing it down with minimal liquid before working out, rather than mixing it with the recommended amount of fluid.

TikTok user Briatney Portillo went viral on the platform recently, after revealing she decided to take a dry pre-workout scoop after seeing it "trending on TikTok".

"Ending up in hospital because I had a 'heart attack'," she explains in a video.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, the 20-year-old explained she started to feel "tingly and itchy all over my body" but ignored that as it can sometimes be a common side-effect of a strong pre-workout.

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She then said she started to feel a heavy feeling in my chest and slight pain.

"I thought maybe it was anxiety or a bad panic attack, so I decided to just ignore it and push through my workout," she added.

One user shared her shock in the comments writing: "Omg no!"

However, the trend has sparked a warning from health experts, particularly as the supplement has become increasingly popular among teens, despite being labelled 18-plus.

Cardiologist Nicole Harkin explained a lot of pre-workout powders contained a dubious list of ingredients.

"Aside from protein, pre-workout also typically contains a massive amount of caffeine, in some cases up to 500mg, as well as artificial dyes, sweeteners and emulsifiers," she told BuzzFeed.

"Taking such a large amount at once could certainly be detrimental to the body, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure acutely."

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