Does Every Hot Dog Shave 10 Minutes Off Your Life? Here's What Doctor Mike Says

No one is out there saying hot dogs are a health food. After all, it's one of the most wildly unhealthy foods you can get at the Costco food court. But just how unhealthy are they? In a 2021 University of Michigan study, researchers put forward the idea that certain foods take time off your healthy life expectancy while others add to it. Hot dogs, as you might expect, reduced time. The study put the amount at 36 minutes, and somehow the concept was twisted and spread quickly throughout the internet. Now, it's become a common notion that hot dogs shorten your lifespan (not just healthy life expectancy) with every bite, though the time supposedly lost may vary, with some saying 10 minutes instead of 36.

One well-known doctor vehemently disagrees, though. Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, known across the internet as Doctor Mike, had things to say about the supposed evils of hot dogs in an interview released in March, 2026. When asked on the YouTube channel, The Basement Yard, about whether a hot dog could take 10 minutes off your life, he said, "These population studies cannot be translated into statistics that simplistically [...] These are epidemiological studies that have been oversimplified. So no, a hot dog does not shorten your life by 10 minutes." He went on to say that he himself loves hot dogs, especially with sauerkraut and mustard.

Before you dismiss Doctor Mike as just another YouTuber, keep in mind that his credentials are solid. He has a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine and is board-certified in family medicine. He's still a practicing primary physician as well as being a YouTuber with over 14 million followers. He has regularly advocated for factual medical transparency throughout his career, so his words carry some weight.

As usual, Doctor Mike's opinions align with those of others respected in his field. Many reviews of the study were critical of the minutes-per-hot-dog measurement. While there is a correlation between high hot dog consumption and mortality risks, there's no medically observed evidence that a hot dog has a direct effect in minutes. Hot dogs have different ingredients by brand, so there can be no sweeping generalizations about them, either.

More than that, the results of the study were reportedly misinterpreted in the media. The original study looked at HALE, or healthy life expectancy, rather than actual total life expectancy. In other words, hot dogs can decrease your quality of life if eaten regularly, but the minutes of lifespan lost are not literal. According to Olivier Jolliet, one of the researchers on the University of Michigan study, the minutes-per-dog figure was never meant to be taken literally, and people shouldn't worry too much about eating a hot dog. So, while consuming a hot dog straight from the packaging can make you sick, munching a cooked one every so often isn't going to kill you.

Be it actual life expectancy or HALE, no one is claiming that this is a health food, and Doctor Mike isn't exactly speaking in praise of the hot dog. He added during his interview that they are "an ultra-processed meat, which you should limit in your diet." He still says he eats about 20 per year, and has previously said that it's actually possible to over-optimize your health. So, as long as you make them an occasional treat, as Doctor Mike himself said, "enjoy your hot dog."