Most social media content these days ranges from controversial to downright stupid, but on some occasions, it becomes dangerous to users’ health. Case in point, a 17-year-old male from Moscow, Russia, wound up in the hospital after watching a clip on the internet that claimed drinking one’s own blood could boost haemoglobin levels.
Originally reported by the SHOT Telegram channel, the shocking story was eventually picked up by mainstream media outlets and confirmed by Russian health experts. Apparently, the teenager drew his blood with a syringe and drank it, hoping to increase his iron levels and become stronger. Only things didn’t turn out the way he had planned.
After some time, the 17-year-old boy’s health began to deteriorate: he started feeling unwell, began vomiting blood, and developed a fever. At one point, his condition got so bad that his family called emergency services. He was eventually diagnosed with acute poisoning and hospitalized.
Doctors managed to stabilize the young man, but they were shocked to learn the cause of the suspected poisoning. The 17-year-old told them that he had watched a social media clip that suggested that drinking one’s blood could boost iron levels, ignorant of the danger of such a practice, especially over an extended period of time.
Doctor Andrei Kondrakhin told Russian newsoutlet Moscow24 that drinking blood can cause poisoning symptoms because the human stomach isn’t designed to digest or process blood.
“It is not absorbed because it contains a large amount of iron, which is what causes its irritating effect,” Kondrakhin said. “This explains why, for example, in peptic ulcers with bleeding, the body perceives blood as an aggressive agent. The liquid portion of blood (plasma) is not designed to pass through the gastrointestinal tract in this form. The body does not know how to digest blood; it is a very complex process.”
“Therefore, the body does not obtain the iron contained in haemoglobin this way. It’s a very complex and lengthy process. Ultimately, it can only lead to vomiting and offers no benefit,” Doctor Kondrakhin added.
The teen’s stunt drew a lot of criticism online, with many social media users mocking him for his dangerous stunt.
“His body has no iron, so he decided to use his own iron, which is in short supply. A genius, no doubt,” one person sarcastically commented.
“They don’t teach human anatomy in 11th grade anymore?” someone else asked.
