What is litchi disease? Causes and treatment of litchi disease

Many people eat lychees crazily in the summer without considering the consequences of this fruit. Let me tell you this knowledge.

The cause of "litchi disease" is different from what you imagine

"Lychee disease" is actually a kind of "hypoglycemia". Lychees contain a lot of sugar, of which fructose accounts for the vast majority. After fructose enters the digestive tract, it is quickly absorbed into the blood by the capillaries on the gastrointestinal mucosa. Fructose is a polysaccharide and cannot be directly used by the body. It must be converted into glucose by the liver before it can be directly used by the body. Once lychees are consumed in excess, there will be a large amount of fructose waiting for the liver to convert. In this way, the fructose converting enzyme will be "in short supply". As a result, a large amount of fructose fills the blood vessels, which can neither be converted into glucose in time nor be used by the body. At the same time, eating too much lychees affects appetite, causing the body to not get a timely supply of nutrients, resulting in insufficient glucose in the human blood, which will cause "lychee disease".

"Lychee disease" should not be underestimated

"Lychee disease" is dangerous and its symptoms are serious and critical. Its symptoms include: dizziness, palpitations, fatigue, pale face, cold and clammy skin, abdominal pain and diarrhea, thirst, and hunger. Some patients may suffer from severe and dangerous diseases. They may suddenly fall into a coma, have paroxysmal convulsions, a thin and rapid pulse, constricted pupils, irregular breathing, intermittent breathing or sighing breathing, a pale face, cyanotic skin, arrhythmia, a drop in blood pressure, and shock symptoms.

The real cause of "litchi disease"

After examination by the emergency doctor, Miss Wei was diagnosed with hypoglycemia due to eating too many lychees. "How can lychees, which are so sweet, cause hypoglycemia?" The emergency doctor explained that although the sugar in lychees is fructose, when the human body ingests fructose, it must be converted into glucose by invertase before it can be absorbed. Eating too many lychees will cause the invertase to be insufficient, which will not only fail to convert fructose, but will also cause insufficient glucose in the blood, resulting in dizziness, palpitations, pale complexion, vertigo, and fainting, which are similar to hypoglycemia symptoms. Medically, this is called acute lychee poisoning, also known as "lychee disease."

The antidote to litchi disease is "salt"

But people who eat lychees do have this experience: after eating lychees, the mouth becomes dry, the throat becomes sore, and it may even cause a cold. What should we do about this? In fact, there are already good ways to deal with it among the people. For example, people in Dongguan hold lychee festivals. They pick and eat lychees in the morning, and they must eat dishes containing salted fish at noon. This is because salt can neutralize the warm nature of lychees. Experts suggest that after eating lychees, no matter how much you eat, the most important thing is to drink some light salt water immediately. However, people with warm constitutions and those with yin deficiency and excessive fire should not be too greedy. It is better to eat less lychees, but it is not an absolute taboo. Remember one principle: drink light salt water immediately after eating.

Although lychees can cause internal heat, they are also a good food for digestion and medical treatment

The saying "a litchi can cause three kinds of heat" makes people who want to eat litchi avoid it. Is there no positive adjective to describe eating litchi except "easy to get angry"? Actually, it is not true. Litchi can also stimulate appetite, wake up the stomach and eliminate food stagnation. The skin and core of litchi also have certain medical effects.