Can parasite infection help you lose weight? Are there no parasites in fruits and vegetables? The problem of parasites should not be underestimated

Author: Liu Aiqi

Reviewer: Zhang Na, Associate Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University School of Public Health

When I was a child, the parasite was like a piece of candy in my hand, I was on this side and the roundworm was on the other side.

Growing up, parasites were a piece of rice pork in the news, me on this side, Taenia solium over there.

Now, parasites are this myth-busting article that helped me diet, I'm over here, lunch is over there.

——The author who couldn’t eat because of writing this article

01

Myth: Farm-grown pork is healthier than supermarket pork

Analysis: No, farm products that lack quality inspection may pose a threat of parasitic diseases.

Many people of the older generation are particularly obsessed with the word "farmhouse". Farmhouse manure, farmhouse vegetables, farmhouse meat... They think that the meat and vegetables sold in supermarkets have lost their spirituality, are contaminated by chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and are the dregs of modern civilization.

So are vegetables grown with farm manure and local pigs raised on farm manure healthier than those in supermarkets?

On the contrary, the further away from industrial products, the more difficult it is to control quality. Farmyard manure and farmyard vegetables also carry the risk of parasites and excessive bacteria.

Today, let’s not talk about the bacterial problems in farm products, but talk about parasites.

In fact, many types of roundworms and tapeworms can be transmitted through feces. The classic transmission route of pork tapeworm is between humans and pigs through "eating" and "feces".

In some places, there is a custom of feeding pigs human feces, or using farmyard manure to water vegetables, which will also stick human eggs to vegetables. Pigs eat the eggs in pig feces directly or indirectly, and the eggs hatch into lively larvae in the pig body - oncocysts . Oncocysts will shuttle through the pig's muscles and various organs, find a place to eat and drink, and gradually develop into cysticercus .

The pork covered with rice-like cysticercus is what the common people call rice pork.

When humans eat undercooked rice and pork, the cysticercus is awakened in the small intestine and can develop into an adult. The adult worm of Taenia solium has a long life span and grows very long. The tapeworm lays eggs or body segments with eggs, which are excreted from the body with feces until the pig eats it again...

Buying pork from farmers' farms is not safe, firstly because the pork has not undergone formal quarantine and there is no guarantee that there are no problems; secondly, the feeding methods used by farmers in many places can indeed easily lead to the spread of parasitic diseases.

Even more dangerous than farm-raised pork is game meat. Not only does game meat taste far inferior to livestock that humans have carefully selected over a long period of time, it also has no special nutritional value and is full of parasites.

Therefore, when you have the conditions to choose, it is recommended that you try to buy quarantined meat in regular markets or supermarkets, and do not blindly pursue so-called local pork and "game".

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02

Myth: Parasites are all in the digestive tract, so it’s okay to get infected, and they can even help you lose weight.

Analysis: Parasites do not necessarily stay in the digestive tract. Even if some "worms" stay in the digestive tract, they can be harmful to the body.

From time to time, we can see news about celebrities who keep parasites in their intestines to lose weight. These celebrities say that they let the parasites share the extra calories they eat, so they can eat more without getting fat, which is a win-win situation. The author has always doubted the authenticity of these news. This is really a bit of a disdain for "worms". Parasites will not stay in the digestive tract honestly.

First, many parasite larvae will migrate when they infect the human body, and second, parasites will not stay still after they grow up. For example, the most familiar Ascaris lumbricoides, after the Ascaris larvae hatch in the intestine for the first time, they will travel around the body, enter the liver and lungs along the blood, and finally return to the intestine.

It is true that most adult roundworms stay in the intestines, but it is inevitable that some restless roundworms will burrow into the body. A 20-centimeter roundworm that burrows into the internal organs is much more powerful than a larva.

Even if the roundworms stay in the intestines obediently, they may become increasingly fat and even block the intestines, causing serious intestinal obstruction.

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03

Myth: Parasites are mostly found in meat, but not in fruits and vegetables

Analysis: There are also parasites in vegetables and fruits.

The parasites mentioned above seem to be hiding in animals, so can vegetarians avoid parasites?

otherwise.

Not to mention the roundworms mentioned earlier, many cases of roundworm disease are transmitted through fruits and vegetables that are not washed properly. Some parasites specifically hide on vegetables, such as Fasciola brucei.

Fasciola brucei is considered a large trematode. Although it is not as big as the roundworms and tapeworms mentioned above, it is also the size of a thumb. The body of the worm is flat and thick, and it really looks like a slice of ginger.

The larvae of Fasciola busulina hide in water bodies and like to lurk on aquatic plants such as water chestnuts and water caltrops, waiting to be eaten by careless people or animals.

Fasciola busulinae can attach to the digestive tract of the human body, causing bleeding or ulcers at the site of attachment, and its metabolites can also cause a series of reactions in the host. The overall symptoms of fasciolosis are very similar to gastric ulcers or gastric cancer. In severe cases, Fasciola busulinae can even cause obstruction.

It is actually very simple to deal with this moving piece of ginger, just like dealing with all parasites - heat it.

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04

Rumor: Frog meat cold compress is refreshing and can reduce internal heat

Analysis: No, raw frog meat is likely to carry the risk of sparganosis infection!

"Eating live frogs can cure back problems," "Drinking raw tadpoles can clear away heat and reduce internal heat," "Putting a frog in your mouth can eat away tooth decay," "You can apply raw frog meat to red and swollen wounds"... Behind this series of rumors and folk remedies that have angered people, there are also various health risks. Among them, the most terrifying is the sparganosis .

The sparganosis in frogs mostly refers to the larvae of Spirometra mansoni. The names of Spirometra mansoni and sparganosis are very interesting. The word "Digong" comes from the uterus visible to the naked eye on its body segments, and the sparganosis refers to the fact that the larvae's head looks like it is split open and has a small depression.

Frogs are an important host in the parasitic life of Spirochaete mansoni. Many wild frogs harbor these parasites.

Every time you drink a tadpole or apply a cold compress of frog meat to the corner of your eye, you may be introducing these parasites into your body.

After entering the human body, sparganosis will migrate to various parts of the body, including the subcutaneous tissue, muscle tissue, eyes, pleura, etc. One of the most serious cases is that sparganosis enters the brain, leading to chronic active inflammation of the brain, which is called cerebral sparganosis - from headaches and epilepsy to aphasia and paralysis.

Humans are not the host of Spirometra mansoni, and Spirometra mansoni does not want to have such close interactions with humans. In nature, the normal life cycle of Spirometra mansoni should be "sword fleas - frogs or snakes - cats and dogs". I really didn't expect to pass through your world.

Most of the sparganum that enter the human body cannot develop into adults normally. Let the little frog go, let yourself go, and let the sparganum go.

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05

Rumor: Parasites are so scary, I have to buy my own anthelmintics

Analysis: No, if you feel you are infected with parasites, you must go to the hospital. Taking medicine randomly is dangerous!

We all know that we should not take medicine randomly, but we always think it is troublesome and don't want to go to the hospital, or we are afraid of finding a serious illness, so we avoid seeing a doctor. We think we can just buy some medicine and take it ourselves, what's wrong with taking an anthelmintic?

As the old saying goes, every medicine is three parts poison. Scientifically speaking, everything in the world has a median lethal dose marked behind it.

The most common anthelmintic is albendazole, a highly effective, broad-spectrum, low-toxic anthelmintic, and a specific medicine for many intestinal parasitic diseases. However, even albendazole, in addition to the common abdominal pain, can also cause nausea, headache, dizziness, and rash. In severe cases, there have even been reports of hemorrhagic colitis or acute liver damage.

Furthermore, without scientific tests such as fecal examination, it is difficult to confirm whether we are infected with a certain parasite. If we do not know the situation, how can we prescribe medicine? Taking medicine carelessly will not only harm the body, but may also delay the treatment.

Even if we have miraculously seen parasites coming out of our bodies (such as noodle-like roundworms), how can we know that there are no other parasites in our bodies? Even if they are all drugs like Intestinal Worm Clear, the dosage and time of use are completely different for different parasitic infections. Using the wrong medicine will only backfire.

If you are sick, you should see a doctor and follow the doctor's instructions when taking medicine.

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in conclusion

In general, with the improvement of living conditions, urbanization, and scientific development, the number of parasitic diseases has gradually decreased. For example, Fasciola brucei, a document from the 1980s showed that the infection rate in a certain province in my country could reach 34.2%~55.1%, but in recent years, it has not been heard of often.

Having said so much, there is no need to panic. It is not that you cannot eat anything. There are simple and easy ways to eliminate the risk. If you want to completely keep these parasites out of our bodies, the key is two words - "kill the familiar".

How to kill the familiar?

1. Eat familiar livestock and poultry, and avoid game.

2. Try to stay away from raw food and cook everything before eating.

References:

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[4] Bao Binfu, Tao Yulian. The incidence and prevention of tapeworm disease[J]. Heilongjiang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, 2009, No.341(18):89.

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[8] Lin Ximeng, Liu Changjun, Zhang Hongwei, et al. Epidemiological investigation and animal experiments on sparganosis mansoni[J]. Chinese Journal of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, 2010, 28(02):132-134.

[9] Yang Guangda, Xiao Jiajie, Wang Fumin, et al. Research overview and prevention and control measures of sparganosis in frogs in my country [J]. Guangdong Forestry Science and Technology, 2013, 29(02): 62-67.

[10] Xu Yun, Wan Hui, Hong Daojun, et al. Clinical characteristics and treatment observation of 123 cases of sparganosis mansoni[J]. Jiangxi Medicine, 2017, 52(04): 286-289.

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