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Super Bowl Health Hazards: Separating Myth From Fact

Superbowl Health Hazard

First Posted: 02/ 2/2012 7:35 am Updated: 02/ 2/2012 7:48 am

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Each year around the Super Bowl, those of us who make it our business to write about health start harping on the dangers of Super Bowl Sunday's buffet spread, excessive drinking and more. But how bad is all that food, actually? And is there really a spike in domestic violence reports on game day? Here are a few myths and facts about the Super Bowl and your health:

Overeating Does Damage: FACT
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We'll be eating 30 million pounds of snacks, according to the Calorie Control Council. That's 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts.

"Sure," you might say. "But there are so many fans, it can't be that much per person." But according to the council's research, that averages out to about 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat per person. That's nearly a full day's worth of calories, based on the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans - and 43 percent more fat than is recommended for an entire day (reminder: the Super Bowl lasts three hours).

It's easy to dismiss all this over-snacking as a special occasion treat, but consider how many passes you've already given yourself: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, New Years, etc. So try to take it easy on the wings. It can be hard to tell how much you're eating when it's the kind of all-day grazing encouraged at a party, so if you're unsure of what constitutes a serving, take our Super Bowl snack calorie quiz here.
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Each year around the Super Bowl, those of us who make it our business to write about health start harping on the dangers of Super Bowl Sunday's buffet spread, excessive drinking and more. But how bad ...
Each year around the Super Bowl, those of us who make it our business to write about health start harping on the dangers of Super Bowl Sunday's buffet spread, excessive drinking and more. But how bad ...
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NWOslave
35 Fans
08:12 AM on 02/03/2012
The myth was promoted to increase the already outlandish power women enjoy employing state violence against men. Hurt feeling, jilted lover, wanting him to do more housework, not giving you enough attention. Every man is a phone call away from incarceration for any reason or no reason at all.
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somebody9191
318 Fans
11:45 AM on 02/05/2012
Practice misogyny much?
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noahmarder
Exposing the regressive lies, one by one
310 Fans
12:26 AM on 02/03/2012
The biggest Super Bowl health hazards are probably violence (alcohol, high emotions, and potentially losing big money on bets is not a good combination), and the risk of catching a disease at a party.
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