Gut capacity and plasticity have been examined across multiple species, but are not typically explored in the context of extreme human performance. Here, I estimate the theoretical maximal active consumption rate (ACR) in humans, using 39 years of historical data from the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Through nonlinear modelling and generalized extreme value analysis, I show that humans are theoretically capable of achieving an ACR of approximately 832 g min⁻¹ fresh matter over 10 min duration. Modelling individual performances across 5 years reveals that maximal ACR significantly increases over time in ‘elite’ competitive eaters, likely owing to training effects. Extreme digestive plasticity suggests that eating competition records are quite biologically impressive, especially in the context of carnivorous species and other human athletic competitions.

肠道容量和可塑性已经在多个物种中进行了检查，但通常不会在极端人类表现的背景下进行探索。在这里，我使用来自一年一度的 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest 的 39 年历史数据估计了人类的理论最大活跃消费率 (ACR)。通过非线性建模和广义极值分析，我表明人类理论上能够实现大约 832 g min ^{-1的 ACR}新鲜物质超过 10 分钟。对 5 年的个人表现进行建模显示，“精英”竞争性食客的最大 ACR 随着时间的推移显着增加，这可能是由于训练效果。极端的消化可塑性表明，进食比赛记录在生物学上令人印象深刻，尤其是在食肉物种和其他人类运动比赛的背景下。