Young and old alike love lychees, and they are very good for health. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and B-complex vitamins, and also contain fibre, fat, protein and carbohydrates, all of which improve metabolism.
But lychees can also be dangerous to health at times, because they contain toxins that can cause serious illness and death. The toxins hypoglycin A and methylene-cyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG) are found in unripe or half-ripe lychees, and eating unripe lychees can cause fatal poisoning.
Taking in hypoglycin A and MCPG can cause nausea. So people who are malnourished may even die if they eat unripe or half-ripe lychees on an empty stomach.
What the toxins do
Research has shown that hypoglycin A is usually found in unripe or half-ripe lychees, that is, lychees that are not fully ripe. It is an amino acid that causes severe nausea.
MCPG, on the other hand, makes blood sugar drop fast. The patient then suffers vomiting, loss of consciousness and weakness. Many patients go into a coma, and many die.
In 2015, US researchers said that a toxic substance called MCPA in the fruit could cause a brain disease (AES). According to the researchers, this toxin is found only in lychees.
Ripe fruit, eaten in moderation
There is no problem with eating ripe lychees, but experts say they should not be eaten in excess. And never eat green or half-ripe lychees on an empty stomach, as this can even lead to death.
On an empty stomach the body's sugar level is already low. If lychees are eaten then, the hypoglycin in them brings the body's sugar level down to zero, and that is what causes the poisoning.
Ripe lychees do not contain as much, but unripe lychees contain high levels of hypoglycin, so unripe lychees should not be eaten at all. Research also says eating too many lychees can cause fever.
Although lychees are harmful on an empty stomach, eating them on a full stomach causes no real problem. Still, it is best not to eat too many at once. Everyone, young and old, can eat them in moderation.
Citing India Times and Times Now News.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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