Sunday December 9, 2012

Too much of anything, including durian, is bad for health

By NIGEL EDGAR
nigeledgar@thestar.com.my

KUCHING: Many believe that eating too many durians or having them accompanied by certain food or beverages could result in discomfort or serious harm to one’s health.

Even so, there are still quite a number of people who ignore this precaution and continue to indulge.

“It (durian) is a heaty fruit. One has to know the tips and ways of eating the fruit without risking one’s health. One also has to know the remedies to counter the discomfort related to eating too many,” said durian lover Hazami Bostaman.

Spiky king: Nasser (second from left) and his staff with a pile of durians during Bank Rakyat's Jom Makan Durian yesterday.

The 32-year-old was met by The Star during the Jom Makan Durian do hosted by Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd (Bank Rakyat) Kuching branch yesterday, where he said he had just eaten five durians and still had room for more.

The secret was, he claimed, having the right preparation prior to consumption.

“You should never consume durian with coffee, carbonated beverages and alcoholic drinks.”

He was commenting on The Star’s Friday front-page story where Malaysian Medical Association advisor Dr Hu Chang Hock said it was common for deaths related to durian-eating to occur, especially during the fruit season.

In fact, a 60-year-old businessman died recently soon after he had some durians.

Dr Hu said the danger was that people tended to consume more than what their bodies could take while enjoying beer.

In the case of the businessman, however, it is said that he did not consume beer with his durian but took a lot of dabai (black olive).

Dr Hu said durians could cause blood pressure and blood sugar levels to spike, especially among those who have hypertension and diabetes.

On this, Hazami claimed that back in the old days, villagers would usually eat durians with salt to ease the “heat”.

“Today, we have Eno (fruit salt solution) or Rhino water (a medicinal drink to cool down the body) which can be drunk after consuming durians.”

Meanwhile, Bank Rakyat Kuching branch manager Syed Nasser Hussain Syed Othman Ali cautioned that before consuming durians, one must be aware and mindful of his or her state of health first.

“People with diabetes and hypertension should consume (durians) with care. Too much could cause serious health complications,” he said.

“Another tip from the elders is once you’ve finish eating, pour some water into any compartment inside the durian shell and drink straight from it. This is believed to help counter the heat from eating the fruit.”

News

Sunday December 9, 2012

Too much of anything, including durian, is bad for health

By NIGEL EDGAR nigeledgar@thestar.com.my

By NIGEL EDGAR
nigeledgar@thestar.com.my