Hot Cheetos may be to blame for teen having gallbladder removed

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- A Memphis mother has a warning after she says her daughter's gallbladder was removed, and she believes it's all because of hot snacks.

"When my daughter had to have this surgery, I knew I had to tell everybody about it," mother Rene Craighead told WREG-TV.

Her 17-year-old daughter, also named Rene Craighead, estimates she was eating about four bags a week of different spicy flavored chips like Hot Cheetos, Takis and Hot Fries.

She started feeling sick to her stomach, went to the hospital and had to have her gallbladder removed.

"We do see tons of gastritis and ulcer-related stuff due to it," Dr. Cary Cavender, with Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, said.

Dr. Cary Canvender, a gastroenterologist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, says there's a lot of factors that go into having a gallbladder removed. But he believes eating the chips probably contributed.

Frito-Lay and Takis both released separate statements reassuring their chips are safe to eat but added they should be enjoyed in moderation.