Know the Risks of Eating Too Much Bitter Gourd for Health – As we all know that bitter melon is a vegetable that has a bitter taste so not many people like it. Since long ago bitter melon has been used as an herbal medicine and is believed to help regulate blood sugar levels. In Indonesia itself, bitter melon is used in various dishes such as dumplings, stir-fried bitter melon, and many more. Although bitter, but the benefits it offers are many.
On the other hand, for those who like bitter melon, you need to be careful because consuming it excessively in the long term can cause bad effects on health, lo! Anything? Read the explanation below to the end, yes!
1. Can cause miscarriage
Pare is a vegetable that is not recommended for pregnant women when consumed in excess. According to a report entitled “Forbidden Foods for Healthy Pregnancy” in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Reviews in 2018, if pregnant women consume too much bitter melon, the bitter taste of bitter maghrebceramique melon can trigger uterine contractions that can cause miscarriage.
Similarly, consuming it in the form of juice, is said to induce uterine contractions, causing bleeding, abortion, and premature labour.
Bitter gourd seeds contain vicine (vicine) which can cause favism or a condition of deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in pregnant women. In an experiment, bitter melon protein content called momorcharin is known to have the effect of inhibiting spermatogenesis in experimental dogs and has an antifertility effect in female rats.
Due to decreased fertility and miscarriage in some of these experimental animals, bitter melon may have an equally harmful effect on humans.
2. Can be bad for the heart
Based on a study on mice published in the journal Analytical Biochemistry in 2016, it was found that high doses of bitter melon water extract can cause hepatotoxicity. Hepatoxicity is a condition in which the liver is damaged by toxic substances.
So, there is a possibility that bitter melon consumed in the long term and in high doses can cause liver inflammation. This may be due to the compound momorcharin in bitter melon. However, do not worry because consumption of bitter melon in reasonable limits is still beneficial for health.
3. Can cause kidney problems
A study published in the Journal of Nephropathology in 2014 found that giving a dose of bitter melon up to 4,000 mg/kg body weight to white rats was considered safe, because it showed no effect on the kidney function of the rats. However, more than that can trigger kidney problems.
For a safe amount, you can consult a doctor or nutritionist. Because, everyone may have a different tolerance for dosage intake.