We've all taken a bite of food or a sip of a drink thinking it was one thing, only to have the realization that it was actually something much different. For some things like, say Sprite and seltzer, this is at worst, a bit startling, but for others, like avocado and wasabi, the results can be a bit more extreme. In fact, a recent report found that a woman mistakenly ate so much wasabi that she developed a heart condition.
According to a report in the British Medical Journal, as reported on by Page Six, an unnamed 60-year-old woman was attending a wedding when she ate a glob of wasabi the size of a teaspoon thinking it was actually a scoop of avocado. After she ate it, she experienced chest pains but decided to stay at the wedding after they subsided. The day after, though, she said she "felt weakness and general discomfort, prompting her to seek medical evaluation."
She was apparently experiencing Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, which is also known as "broken heart syndrome." It can be caused by "after sudden intense emotional or physical stress," according to the journal. If you've ever eaten wasabi, you'll know that too much of it could definitely cause a bit of stress. Thankfully, the woman is back in good health.
If you do like a bit of wasabi with your sushi, this likely isn't cause for alarm. Researchers noted that the scoop she took was unusually large for wasabi consumption and this was the first known case of something like this happening. As long as you're conservative with your usage, you should be fine.