Huaxi doctors warn you to be careful when eating crabs! Especially this may be life-threatening

"How dare you eat crabs? A few years ago I saw someone get bit by a bug after eating crabs. It's really dangerous!"

"Both. I heard that people get fever and stomach pain after being bitten... It's better not to eat it!"

"That's not just rude. There were also cases where I got stung by a crab while washing it and got infected with bacteria."

Indeed, for foodies, these few cases cannot stop them from eating crabs; but for some cautious people who cannot help drooling, it is still a bit daunting.

Today, we have invited Dr. Rao Zhiyong and Dr. Xu Miao from the Department of Clinical Nutrition at West China Hospital of Sichuan University to work overtime during the National Day holiday to explain to you whether hairy crabs are edible and how to eat them best!

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About Chinese Hairy Crab

The thing we eat the most in the past two months is hairy crab. In the "household registration book", it has a very formal and fashionable name: Chinese mitten crab.

It contains high-quality protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids, etc., and has high nutritional value.

It is a kind of river crab, distributed from the Liaohe River in the north to the Pearl River in the south of my country.

The Chinese have been eating crabs for more than 5,000 years, but some Western European and North American countries still don't dare to eat river crabs. (Please import them to my country, or they will become extinct in a matter of minutes)

Compared with other seasons, autumn is more suitable for eating crabs. The nutritional value of crabs in September and October is not much different, but the fatty acid content in October crab meat is higher than that in September crab meat , and it will be more delicious.

Sent to the hospital by a crab? Here are two things to keep in mind

Every year during this season, some people are sent to the hospital while handling and eating hairy crabs, and some are even in danger of their lives.

Got bitten by bugs while eating crabs?

The worms here refer to "lung fluke disease", an acute or chronic endemic parasitic disease caused by Paragonimus, which mainly parasitizes in human lungs.

After the worm eggs are excreted in sputum or feces, they first develop into miracidia in the water, and then invade the first host (freshwater snails) to develop into cercariae. The cercariae then invade the second host (crustaceans) to develop into metacercariae. People can be infected after eating uncooked freshwater crabs, crayfish, and swamp shrimps that carry metacercariae, or eating half-cooked wild animal meat infected with metacercariae, or drinking stream water contaminated by metacercariae.

I believe you all know the above 169 words, but you can't understand them together. So you just need to know that the clinical symptoms of this disease are mainly cough, bloody sputum, chest pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, low fever, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, headache, chills, and slow consciousness.

Most importantly, the main way for humans to be infected with this disease is to eat raw or half-cooked freshwater crabs or crayfish crickets infected with Paragonimus metacercariae, or to drink contaminated raw water.

We also looked through the news in previous years and found that the cases of people being hospitalized after eating crabs were generally caused by "lung paragonimiasis" after eating "drunk crabs". Some people may ask, drunken crabs are prepared with various sterilization seasonings, so why would people still get sick after eating them?

①This parasite cannot be completely killed by condiments such as strong liquor, mustard, and vinegar.

② Continuous heating at 100℃ (for more than 1 minute) can completely kill this parasite.

So, although this parasitic disease looks weird, it is actually very simple to eliminate it. Just cook it thoroughly. In addition, it is best to separate the cutting utensils at home for raw and cooked food to avoid cross infection.

I got stung while handling crabs and almost lost my life?

This situation does happen, and it is caused by infection with " Vibrio vulnificus ". However, it is unlikely to be infected by this pathogen when handling hairy crabs and other river crabs, because "Vibrio vulnificus" is also called "marine Vibrio". As the name suggests, it is a bacterium that lives in the ocean. There are generally two ways of infection:

① Skin infection: Being stung by seafood infected with the bacteria, or having a wound that comes into contact with seafood or seawater containing the bacteria.

② Infection through food: Eating seafood that is not fully cooked.

Vibrio vulnificus is still relatively dangerous. Infection can cause various inflammations such as cellulitis and osteomyelitis, and swelling, pain and ulceration of the lower limbs in a short period of time. It can also induce bacteremia or sepsis. If not treated in time, the mortality rate is very high.

Therefore, when handling seafood products, try to protect the exposed parts to avoid being stabbed and infected. If you are accidentally injured, do the following:

- Irrigate the wound immediately

Clean the wound with soap and water

If the bleeding is not serious, do not bandage it.

Squeeze the wound to drain the blood

See a doctor as soon as possible

" Are these rumors about crabs true or false?

Rumor 1

Will eating crabs and persimmons together cause poisoning?

Not really! It's not poisoning, it just causes stomach upset and indigestion.

The reason for this statement is that crab meat is rich in protein, and unripe persimmons are rich in tannic acid. The combination of protein and tannic acid will form tannic acid protein, which can cause stomach discomfort and indigestion.

Although it seems reasonable, how many people eat unripe persimmons? They usually eat ripe persimmons. The tannic acid content of ripe persimmons is greatly reduced.

Therefore, if you are not allergic to crabs, it is not a big problem to eat them with ripe persimmons on a full stomach as long as you do not consume large amounts at one time.

Remember, anyone who talks to you about toxicity without considering the dosage is a "rogue" so don't ignore him.

BUT, people with weak stomachs should be careful. Whether it is crabs or persimmons, they themselves are prone to cause diarrhea, and it is not the combination of them that will cause diarrhea. So if you have a bad stomach, it is better to eat less.

Rumor 2

Pregnant women are not allowed to eat crabs, otherwise the baby will be born sideways and it may cause miscarriage?

Just ignore the first rumor. It is an insult to your intelligence. I won’t answer it!

As for the rumor that eating crabs can cause miscarriage, currently the edible parts of crabs are mainly crab meat and crab roe. As we mentioned before, the nutritional components are water, protein, fat, carbohydrates and the like. No ingredients have been found that can cause miscarriage. As long as the crabs are clean, hygienic, purchased from regular channels, and fully cooked, you can eat them.

But if the pregnant woman is allergic to crabs, it is best not to eat them.

Rumor 3

Will eating crabs cause gout?

This is correct.

The purine content in crabs is relatively high, especially the crab roe that many people like to eat. The purine content is much higher than that in crab meat. Gout patients and patients with high uric acid should not eat it.

In addition, crabs are high in cholesterol and should not be eaten by people with hypercholesterolemia.

Rumor 4

Dead crabs can’t be eaten?

Basically correct!

Crabs themselves are easily contaminated by pathogenic bacteria and parasites. After they die, bacteria will multiply in large numbers and they will quickly become corrupt and spoil. At the same time, proteins will decompose to produce harmful substances such as histamine, most of which cannot be removed even at high temperatures, so it is not recommended to eat them.

In addition, it is best not to buy those that are half-dead . Although they are cheap, they may die on the way home. It is best to buy fresh ones.

Remember to avoid eating crabs

Crabs are delicious, but you have to be careful about how you eat them.

Ordinary people:

First, don’t eat it raw.

It is clearly stated in the second part that eating raw or undercooked food may cause infection with schistosomiasis.

You should know that the probability of consuming raw crabs to be infected with lung fluke is as high as 70%; the probability of consuming pickled crabs or drunken crabs to be infected with lung fluke is as high as 55%; but this probability is reduced to 20% after a little heating. Therefore, it is safest to eat crabs fully cooked.

Second, based on eating habits, it is recommended not to eat crab viscera.

Crab gills, crab stomachs, crab intestines, etc. easily accumulate dirt and heavy metals, so try not to eat them.

Third, it is best not to eat it with other foods rich in tannins, tannic acid or oil.

Especially for people with weak constitution and poor digestive function, it may easily cause allergies, or eat irritating foods together, such as strong tea, cold drinks, etc., so as not to cause allergies or stomach discomfort.

For healthy adults, crabs are fine to eat with most foods in moderation, provided the body is strong and the digestive system can tolerate it.

Of course, if you are not an ordinary person, just ignore the above.

“It is said that no crab can walk sideways out of Yangcheng Lake.

But it is questionable whether the crabs from Yangcheng Lake will come to your table. After all, every year before the lake opens, countless "Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs" are sold on the market.

But there is no need to be too obsessed. Most people can’t tell the difference. As long as they are fresh and delicious, they are all the same!