Eating one traditionally made hot dog can take away about 36 minutes from your life, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health suggests. The new information got fans of renowned competitive eater Joey Chestnut worried as he specialises in winning hot dog eating competitions.

The new study organises various consumable products on a ‘health nutritional index’, which ranges from minutes lost to minutes gained depending on the nutritional qualities of the food.

The two extremes of the study stand at 74 minutes lost per food time to 80 gained, according to reports from the New York citing the study findings.

The study reads, “Previous studies investigating healthy or sustainable diets have often reduced their findings to a discussion of plant-based versus animal-based foods, with the latter stigmatized as the least nutritious and sustainable”, according to reports from the Sporting News.

The findings added, “that plant-based food generally perform better, there are considerable variations within both plant-based and animal-based foods that should be acknowledged before such generalized inferences are warranted.”

Joey Chestnut, who has dominated the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest organised on July 4 annually, has consumed 1,094 hot dogs since his debut at the competition in 2005.

When associated with the research findings, the 14-time champion of the competition has lost 39,384 minutes, or nearly 28 days from his lifetime, according to reports from the Sporting News.

This year’s championship round at Nathan’s hotdog eating competition was eventful for Chestnut. 

Chestnut not only successfully retained the Mustard Belt for himself but also carried on his streak of record-setting performances at eating contests across the United States.  

In a statement given to ESPN before the contest flagged off around noon, Chestnut spoke about the support he has received from fans through his decade-long journey. He said, “This is what I love. I love eating in front of people and they love pushing me. I am just a guy that eats hot dogs and has fun. I am just so happy to be doing this,”, reported USA Today.