After digging and digging in the durian flesh, these 6 rumors were finally revealed!

Recently, the topic #Don’t touch these foods after eating durian# has become a hot topic.

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The durian fruit is a "mysterious" existence, a combination of "fragrance + stench", which makes people love and hate it.

Some people particularly love its "fragrance", while others cover their noses and stay away from it when they see it.

People often talk about it, and the rumors about it are becoming more and more numerous and outrageous.

In this article, we will debunk the myths surrounding durian.

01

Can’t drink alcohol after eating durian?

Rumor 1: There are rumors that durian will affect the metabolism of alcohol, and eating durian with alcohol can be life-threatening; others say that durian + alcohol will produce arsenic, which can cause poisoning.

The truth: Durian can reduce the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, but it is only a minor effect. It does not mean that eating them together will be life-threatening or poisoning.

First of all, eating durian does have some effects on alcohol metabolism. Foreign research experiments have found that acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is used to help the human body metabolize alcohol. Sulfides such as sulfides will inhibit the activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and increase the risk of alcohol poisoning. [1]

Durian is a fruit with a relatively high sulfide content, which will inhibit the activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and reduce the body's metabolism of alcohol.

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However, these are only in vitro and animal experiments, and cannot be directly inferred to humans. Moreover, the extent to which the sulfur content in durian reduces the activity of alcohol metabolism is limited. In real life, there are no relevant cases or studies to prove that eating durian with alcohol in moderation can be life-threatening.

Of course, eating a lot of durian and drinking a lot of alcohol is not a sure thing.

Secondly, the rumor that durian + alcohol will produce arsenic is unreliable. Mixing the two will not produce arsenic.

Although eating durian can inhibit the metabolism of alcohol to a certain extent, it does not mean that eating them together will have serious consequences. Normal and moderate drinking and eating durian will not be life-threatening.

02

Can’t drink milk after eating durian?

Rumor 2: It is said that drinking milk after eating durian is more poisonous than a cobra.

The truth: Drink it with confidence, it’s not poisonous.

The cause was a rumor: a Chinese tourist ate a lot of durian and drank milk while traveling in Thailand, which caused caffeine poisoning and soaring blood pressure, and eventually led to sudden death.

In fact, drinking milk and durian together does not produce caffeine, nor does it cause caffeine poisoning.

If these two together are poisonous, then what about durian milk, durian yogurt, durian mille-feuille, durian toffee, and durian ice cream?

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Therefore, you can drink milk without worrying about eating durian.

As for the cases in the rumors, even if they really exist, they could only be sudden deaths caused by other reasons, but durian and milk were blamed together.

03

Can’t eat crabs while eating durian?

Rumor 3: There are rumors that crabs and durian are incompatible, and eating them together can easily cause stomach discomfort and may even cause diarrhea.

The truth: There is no such thing as food incompatibility. You can eat them together, provided that the ingredients are clean and hygienic.

First of all, there is no such thing as food incompatibility. Durian and crabs will naturally not have any incompatibility reaction .

As for the stomach discomfort and diarrhea mentioned in the rumors, it may be caused by the crabs not being cooked thoroughly, not being handled cleanly, or the food being spoiled.

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It may also be caused by eating a large amount of durian and crabs at the same time, which increases the burden of gastrointestinal digestion.

04

Can’t drink Coke after eating durian?

Rumor 4: Some people believe that Coke is a carbonated beverage containing caffeine, and consuming caffeine and durian together can easily cause heart disease and lead to sudden death.

The truth: You can do it together, but don’t keep making durian or drinking cola.

This is similar to the rumor that durian + milk can cause poisoning, both of which are blamed on caffeine.

Coke does contain caffeine, but there is currently no evidence that caffeine will react with the ingredients in durian to produce toxic substances.

Even if there is some discomfort when eating the two together, it may be because you drink more cola while eating a lot of high-fat and high-sugar durian, which leads to symptoms such as indigestion and bloating. This is not because of incompatibility or toxicity.

05

Can’t you eat beef or mutton when eating durian?

Rumor 5: People who often eat durian may have heard that durian and beef, mutton, etc. cannot be eaten together, as it will cause "heat", prone to nosebleeds and acne.

The truth: Durian has nothing to do with beef and mutton. You can eat both together. If you don't want to get angry, just eat less.

In fact, there is no concept of "getting angry" in modern medicine. People generally refer to symptoms such as swollen and painful gums, dry mouth, sore throat, red and yellow urine, oral ulcers, dry stools, and facial acne as "getting angry".

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This is not because of eating durian with beef and mutton. Eating durian alone may also cause the so-called "heat" symptoms. This is mainly because durian is high in sugar, fat and calories. A large amount of sugar will increase the osmotic pressure of cells, leading to dry throat, causing discomfort in the mouth, throat, gums and other parts, and will also increase the risk of acne .

In addition to sucrose, glucose and maltose, durian also contains fructose. Excessive intake may cause acute inflammation in the human body.

Therefore, if you eat too much durian at one time, it will cause "heat" regardless of whether you eat it with beef or mutton.

The best way to avoid getting a sore throat is to eat less at a time.

06

1 durian = 3 chickens?

Rumor 6: 1 durian equals 3 chickens, which means "the nutritional value of one durian is equivalent to that of three chickens."

The truth: This is not true. Chicken contains more nutrients than durian.

In fact, such a comparison is meaningless, and the nutritional value of the two cannot be compared. After all, one is fruit and the other is meat.

Compared with chicken, durian has about the same amount of energy per 100 grams and generally weighs about the same.

Unless you compare a large durian with an edible part of six or seven kilograms and a small chicken with an edible part of two or three kilograms, the calorie content may be consistent with the statement "1 durian equals 3 chickens".

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In terms of other nutrients, the fat, protein, cholesterol, niacin, iron, zinc and other contents of chicken are higher than those of durian. It is not the case that “one durian equals three chickens”.

Summarize:

Although these rumors about durian are unreliable, it is not recommended that you eat too much durian at one time.

After all, it has a high calorie count. Eating a piece of durian the size of a goose egg is almost equivalent to the calories in a bowl of rice. Eating it too much will really make you fat!

Besides, wouldn’t you get sick of eating too much durian at one time?

References:

[1] .Iciek M, Górny M, Bilska-Wilkosz A, Kowalczyk-Pachel D. Is aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibited by sulfur compounds? In vitro and in vivo studies. Acta Biochim Pol. 2018;65(1):125-132. doi:10.18388/abp.2017_2324

[2] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[3] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 2[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2019

Author: Xue Qingxin, one of the first nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission, and a registered nutritionist in China

Review | Zhang Na, Associate Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University School of Public Health

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