14 foods that can poison you when eaten in excess

14 foods that can poison you when eaten in excess

The phrase "overdose" of some illegal drug usually brings to mind. But it's not just street drugs or prescription drug abuse that can overwhelm the body and cause harm or death. Even substances considered harmless, or even healthy, can become toxic when misused or ingested in large quantities.

In this article, we will learn about these materials, so that we are fully aware of them:

1. Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are a family of nutrient-dense green leafy plants, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

 These vegetables are often recommended because they contain high levels of antioxidants and other health benefits. But eating too much of these leafy greens can have negative results, and eating too much broccoli or kale can lead to hypothyroidism, as it fails to produce enough of its hormone. 

Nutritionists say that "reasonable amounts" of cruciferous vegetables offer several health benefits. But once a person is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, they are advised to avoid cruciferous vegetables.

2 Carambola (also known as star fruit) can cause significant damage inside the body if too much is eaten. For people whose kidneys are already weak, kidney damage or failure can occur from eating just a small amount.

Star fruit contains a toxin that can wreak havoc on the renal system. People with healthy kidneys can filter out toxins without any harmful effects, but anyone with kidney damage is advised not to eat star fruit.

Symptoms of star fruit toxicity include nausea, weakness, insomnia, seizures, and hiccups, which are most common in mild cases. 

Doctors can treat severe cases of star fruit poisoning with dialysis, but kidney function may never return to normal after the damage has occurred.

3. Tuna

Warnings against eating tuna are generally directed at pregnant women and young children, but we are all at risk if we overdo it with sushi.

 Raw, cooked, and canned tuna contain mercury. Mercury is found in most types of fish, but larger predatory fish contain higher concentrations. Tuna feed on smaller fish, so they also consume the mercury content of the smaller fish, which raises their mercury level.

Early signs of poisoning include poor coordination and numbness in the fingers and toes, followed by tremors and vision problems.

 Mercury poisoning over a long period of time can lead to amnesia, memory problems, and severe learning disabilities. Severe cases can lead to kidney problems, respiratory failure, and death.

Many people are aware of the dangers of eating too much tuna, but not the actual amount that is "too much". A type of fish tuna known as albacore has a high mercury content and may be detrimental to health. For a person weighing 68 kilograms or more, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends consuming no more than one 170-gram can of albacore tuna every nine days.

4. Black licorice

Black licorice can be dangerous, especially for people over the age of 40. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a report warning of the effects of consuming black licorice regularly or in large quantities.

 The warning from the US Food and Drug Administration follows a 2016 case in which a person who frequently consumed black licorice experienced heart problems attributed to a chewy candy.

Eating just 57 grams of black licorice, or about three pieces 2.5 cm long, every day for two weeks can cause heart problems. Black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a compound that causes low potassium levels. 

When potassium levels fall, people are at risk of developing abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, and even congestive heart failure.

5. Nutmeg

Nutmeg is very popular this time of year, but make sure not to sprinkle it too much on the eggnog. Eating as little as 4.4 grams of it can lead to nutmeg poisoning. Within an hour of consuming a large amount of nutmeg, users typically experience severe digestive issues. 

After a few more hours, people can start to suffer from heart and nerve problems. It can have a very dangerous effect on people with more subtle heart and nerve problems that go undiagnosed.

6. Tea

Black tea contains a chemical called oxalate. This chemical is also found naturally in other foods such as rhubarb and spinach. Too much oxalate can damage the kidneys. An Arkansas man who drank three to ten times more tea than the average American developed a blockage in his kidneys.

 According to the Harvard School of Public Health, up to four cups of tea per day is a safe amount. As for drinking sixteen cups a day, it is too much and dangerous to health. 

7. Soy sauce

A healthy 19-year-old Virginian guy overdosed on 0.9 liters of soy sauce in a 2013 incident. He spent the next three days in a coma as a result, and the extra salt in his body almost killed him. 

Hypernatremia is the medical term for when the body has too much salt in the blood.  When the bloodstream becomes saturated with salt, it pulls water from other parts of the body, including the brain, in an effort to lower the salt concentration. The human brain can shrink and bleed as it loses fluid.

 Doctors said the young man was lucky to be alive. He is the first person to overdose on such a high amount of salt and lives without any permanent neurological problems.

8. Coffee

Although some people claim they'll shut off properly without their morning cup of coffee, it's best not to have too many cups.

 According to the Mayo Clinic, you should not consume more than 500 to 600 milligrams of caffeine per day.

 A typical 8-ounce cup of medium-roast coffee contains about 200 milligrams of caffeine, while a 1-ounce shot of espresso contains about 75 milligrams, and an 8-ounce cup of black tea can contain 120 milligrams of caffeine.

Noticeable side effects can occur if you consume more than 600 to 900 milligrams of caffeine per day, and these symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, nausea, irregular heartbeat, muscle tremors, and headaches. In fact, consuming too much caffeine can be fatal, not just toxic. 

According to a case published by Swedish doctors in a 2010 issue of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, a 21-year-old woman went into cardiac arrest shortly after consuming about 10,000 mg of caffeine.

 Although she was resuscitated by ventricular fibrillation several times, she stopped responding to medication after three days.

9. Water

The traditional guideline to drink eight glasses of water a day has proven to be a myth. Water intoxication occurs when a person drinks so much that the water dilutes the sodium concentration in the blood, leading to an electrolyte imbalance. 

Water intoxication, commonly known as hyponatremia, is mostly a risk for endurance athletes.

 A 2005 article published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 13 percent of the 488 runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon developed hyponatremia as a result of drinking too much water.

According to the researchers, a relatively simple strategy for reducing this risk is for runners to weigh themselves before and after their workouts, in order to measure their total fluid intake and to make sure they don't drink too much water during exercise.

An unusual and fatal case of water intoxication occurred in 2007 when a California woman reportedly drank too much water during a radio station's " Hold Your Wee for Wii " contest.

10. Seaweed

Seaweed is a rare example of a non-animal product rich in vitamin B12, which makes it a great substitute for meat in vegan diets. It has also been promoted as a superfood that can help you lose weight due to its rich iodine and fiber content.

 But taking too much iodine can lead to thyroid problems and even weight gain. Seaweed may also contain high amounts of heavy metals depending on where it is grown.

11. Chocolate

Chocolate contains theobromine (the chemical that makes it fatal to dogs) and too much of it can be life-threatening to humans. You would have to eat about 85 full-size chocolate bars to be fatal, so this is a good reason to get your chocolate addiction under control.

12. Bananas

 When you're trying to be healthy, bananas are always a good idea because they give you a great lower-calorie fix (although they taste great dipped in chocolate). 

But eating too much can have its downsides, as amino acids cause everything from drowsiness to headaches.

But you should pay attention to the potassium levels in bananas. While it is a common misconception that eating six bananas in one sitting can kill you, it is certain that if one day you get over-excited and eat 400 bananas, your heart may stop beating, and this condition is known as hyperkalemia. resulting from overeating.

13. Peanut butter

Whether eaten alone or with other food, peanut butter is the undeniable king of snacks. But it's probably best to keep your portions small, because not only can jars contain a lot of fat, they can contain traces of mold called Aspergillus niger. In the past, exposure to such toxins has been linked to everything from stunted growth in children to fatigue. According to the NHS website, it can also be very bad for those who have a pre-existing lung condition, such as cystic fibrosis or asthma.

14. Potatoes

Be careful next time you spot a potato starting to turn green and sprouting.

Depending on how you handle them, potatoes can produce a natural pesticide called solanine, which ingestion can cause vomiting and cardiac arrest. 

There's a little bit of good news. A University of New Mexico study indicates that a 100-pound adult must eat an entire pound of green potatoes before showing signs of solanine poisoning.**