Milk chugging, or gallon challenge, is the process of consuming a large amount of milk within a set period of time. Although there are variations in procedure, many adherents follow to the mostly general parameters; a person is given 60 minutes to drink a full gallon of whole milk without vomiting.
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The first recorded occurrences of competitive milk chugging[1] date back to the early 1997[2][3] where there are several explanations for the origins of the challenge. Undoubtedly, the most highly publicized competition was one that was featured in episode 5 of Season 2 of the American television series Jackass,[4] where Dave England and Ehren McGhehey were featured in a gallon challenge segment. Filmed in Portland, Oregon in the year 2000, contestants were to consume one gallon of milk in an hour in a variety of flavors, which resulted in each participant vomiting.
Regardless of the exact origin, milk chugging had gained popularity[5] and a following, especially in the United States. The rumors of its impossibility,[4][6] as well as media coverage[4] have led to the appeal among high school and college students,[7][8] as well as celebrities[9] and state senators.[10] The notion of a Gallon Challenge does not implicitly mean a gallon of milk[11] and can be substituted for a gallon of a consumable liquid, such as water,[11][12] yet milk remains what is most closely associated with the term. Though virtually all cases result in vomiting, some participants find the activity fun.[13]
There are three universal rules in what has been called the Gallon Challenge, although some minor variations may exist.[14]
Many high school and college students hold their own challenges: Phi Delta Tau, at the Central College in Pella, Iowa have traditionally hosted an annual gallon challenge, four Rutgers fraternities host challenges for fundraisers,[12] some MIT students celebrated the 4th of July with a challenge,[17] as well as many other official and unofficial gallon challenges.[18] In 2008, several members of a fraternity in Arizona participating in a "milk-chug" were arrested for causing a car accident after vomiting into traffic below the bridge they were competing on.[19]
Peter Ubriaco founded the non-profit Gallon Challenge Foundation in 2004, formalizing a local gallon challenge contest held since 2000. The organization raised donations during the yearly challenge for food and health related organizations; after their 2006 challenge in held in New York City,[15] they donated to the Food Allergy Initiative,[20] a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds for the treatment and cure of food allergies.
The act of milk-chugging has also been the centerpiece for a photographer and artists' show in 2005, where he featured an image entitled "Milk Chuggers", and a video called "the Milk Chugger", where he films himself drinking milk until he vomits.[1] In 2009, Jimmy Fallon held a milk chugging contest on NBC's “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”, with guests Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Dario Franchitti.[9] On the broadcast, Fallon wore a rain poncho and drank chocolate milk, while the drivers drank regular milk. Also in 2009,[21] and again in 2010, North Carolina members of the General Assembly, which included Bob Atwater, William Brisson, Andrew Brock, Dewey Hill, Joe Sam Queen and Arthur Williams,[22] competed in a milk-chugging contest, held at North Portico of the Legislative Building in Raleigh,[21] to raise awareness in the dairy industry.[23] Winners of the contest would receive money to donate to a charity of their choice.[10]
Sarah Ash, a professor of nutrition at North Carolina State University, comments that the primary difficulty in completing the challenge lies in the limited capacity of the stomach. Generally, the stomach can hold only half a gallon. Stretch receptors in the organ sense when its limit is reached, triggering a vomit reflex. Moreover, drinking a gallon of milk is more difficult than drinking a gallon of water. The fat and protein in milk both inhibit the stomach from releasing its contents into the small intestine, forcing more of the liquid to remain in the stomach.[4] Milk is also preferred to water, because of the risk of water intoxication.
It is often claimed that the difficulty is related to lactose intolerance: the inability of many people to metabolize lactose, a major component of milk. Ash finds this theory unlikely, as the symptoms of lactose intolerance occur in the large intestine, rather than the stomach.[4]