12 Dangers of Peanuts for Health – Awareness Needed!

There are various kinds of side effects of consuming peanuts. You might be have not known about some of them. It is a common knowledge that peanuts contain rich nutrients that are good for our body.

However, you need to pay attention to how much peanuts that is allowed to eat and how to cook it, in order to prevent any side effect that come from consuming peanuts.

Here are some dangers of consuming peanuts if you consume it incorrectly:

Microbial Contamination

In general, peanuts are still the same type of plant pods which have a texture that is not so hard to be processed or molded. However, peanuts is a plant that grows under soil and dirt, thus it is very susceptible to the variety of microbial exposure.

The damp condition of soil and the lack exposure to sun also take part in making peanuts to be the nest of some bad germs and microbe to live in it. If the peanuts are not planted correctly or having some problems during the growing process, the peanut sells might be weak and could not protect the nut properly and it will make the bad microbes enter the nut. If human eat these kind of nut, it might be result in a bad impact.

That being said, make sure the peanuts that you eat are the good ones. Clean it and cook it properly in order to kill all the bad substances that might be found in the peanuts

Several types of microbes have been found in peanuts are:

Salmonella bacteria
Mushroom parasite

Typhoid fever

As mentioned before, peanuts could be the place for Salmonella bacteria to live and grow well. Consuming peanuts that have been contaminated with germs and bacteria or does not clean and cook properly might result in having symptoms of typhoid fever. The transmission and spread of this type of fever is also closely related to the low hygiene of food ingredients that you consumed.

Usually, the most common way to treat this kind of fever is with prescription antibiotics and medicine for fever. People who have this fever is not allowed to eat something that is hard to digest, it is better to eat something soft so as not to harm the digestive system since the bowel is in a weaker condition than normal.

Some symptoms of typhoid fever:

The symptoms might be different but some people experience severe fever during the night because of the activity of the bacteria that cause the fever are ‘moving’ according to the blood flow.
Accompanied with limp complaints, dizziness and headaches.
Symptoms of nausea to vomiting are also common things due to the unstable conditions of the digestive system because of the presence of bacteria in the stomach.
Abdominal pain that is sometimes accompanied by bloating.

Liver Cancer

Still related to hygiene issue of processing and consuming peanuts, peanuts are also prone from contamination of toxic fungi species, one of the most popular types of Aflatoxin.

This type of toxin could trigger cancer or carcinogenic substances. The organ that commonly gets attack is liver since this big gland is in charge of working hard to neutralize a variety of harmful toxic substances in the body.

If the liver function is down drastically, yellow symptoms may also occur along with digestive problems and so on which result in the weakening of the immune system and the body in general.

That being said, the hygiene factor should be considered when consuming peanuts so that you can enjoy the benefits of nutrients in it without having to experience unhealthy effects that any of us certainly do not want.

Slowing Down Growth Process

This condition mostly happens to children at a rapid age of growth. The toxic of particular fungus that may be found in peanuts also adversely affects the growth rate of children. Especially if consumed in large quantities and in a long term without realizing that the peanuts contains some bad substances, it will have an impact on child growth which will make the process is not optimal.

That being said, be aware and always careful in giving attention to the small things that could have unknowingly impact on things that are detrimental to our health, especially in the long run.

Allergy

Peanuts are a mild snack rich in beneficial nutrients. However, behind it there are some people who have allergies reaction if they consume peanuts even if it only in small amount. People’s allergic reaction is very different from each other, some of them have mild reaction and the other have severe ones.

People who have high sensitivity to peanuts are at risk in having severe allergic reaction even if they accidentally breathe in the peanuts powder. It should be noted that acute allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis can be very fatal for the safety of the life of allergic sufferers.

Rheumatic

Peanuts contains compound called Lectin. Lectin is very useful for peanuts to protect themselves from the threat of various pests.

The lectin cross section usually has a sticky structure and when we consume peanuts, the Lectin is most likely will circulate in the bloodstream along with the glucose, which might cause an inflammatory reaction. We commonly recognize this condition as rheumatic inflammation that usually attacks our bony joints.

Rheumatic patients are also commonly recommended to reduce the variety of low-purine foods in addition to consuming nuts, seafood, instant foods, and certain vegetables which can further aggravate the existing symptoms. In order to avoid this kind of issue, drinking more water and limiting the amount of peanut intake would definitely help fix it.

Weight Problem

In some other cases the content of Lectin in peanuts also turns out to be incompletely digested by our digestive systems due to their sticky texture. And also the content of this Lectin has the potential to disrupt the system of the body that is closely related to the function of insulin and lead to the body’s chaotic system in controlling the weight regulation.

Also read: Foods That Will Guarantee Chubby Cheeks

Heart Condition

Peanuts have a rich content of omega-6 fatty acids but inversely proportional to omega-3 fatty acid content that tends to be low. Excessive consumption of peanut will increase the levels of omega-6 fatty acids that can actually inhibit the performance of omega-3 fatty acids in the formation of DHA and EPA that are important for the body.

Some of the health problems caused by the lack of both these fatty acids are the potential for inflammatory problems in the body and also manifestations of heart disease problems. Our body needs to consume balanced nutrients in order to function maximally. Thus, make sure to consume other foods, particularly some foods that contain high omega 3 in order to balance the daily nutrients intake.

Here are some types of foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids high enough to balance the levels for the equivalent of the amount of omega-6 fatty acids:

Pumpkin
Mustard oil
Fish oil
Chia seeds
Flaxseed herbs

Pesticide Threats

It has been mentioned earlier that peanut plants are very susceptible to pests and fungal parasites. Inevitably, many farmers try to use pesticides to save their peanut plants even though pesticides are a toxic compound that is dangerous if it enters into the human body.

Here are some health problems that can be caused by pesticides for human body:

Blurry vision
Symptoms of nausea and vomiting
Excessive sweating or abnormal sweating
Get tired easily and frequently
Prone to nerve problems
Diarrhea or its symptoms
Have a tendency to get thirsty easily and dehydration
The appearance of irritation around the skin, eyes, throat and also the nose.
Dizzy, migraine, and headache

Cardiovascular Problems

Heart or cardiovascular problem is still related to the high amount of saturated fat in peanuts. One of the most common problems that will happen because of saturated fat is heart problem.

Peanuts are actually containing some substances that might be good for our heart but if you are someone who already has a heart problem, it is better to limit the consumption of peanuts.

Those who do not have a heart problem is also recommended to eat this kind of beans only in moderation in order to keep your body to stay healthy.

Here are some lists of cardiovascular health problems that can occur because of the excessive levels of saturated fat in the body:

High blood pressure
Might trigger problems in the digestive system
Blockage in arterial blood vessels
Might trigger cerebral blood vessel rupture or stroke
Might trigger sudden heart attack

Also read: Early Symptoms of Heart Disease

11. Disrupting Your Diet Program

When we eat flavored peanuts as a snack, we usually want to eat it more and more until we satisfied. This kind of eating style is not good for those who are going through diet program. Instead of eating peanuts, it is better to munching on fruits or vegetables that contain fiber and water in order to support your diet program

Keep in mind that per 100 grams of peanuts alone, it contains 567 calories, which is considered as a high number of calories. Let’s just compare the calories contained in the two different foodstuffs such as peanuts with apples in the same dosage of about twenty ounces each.

We will find surprising and quite different caloric results. Apple contains 320 calories while peanuts have 3400 calories. So if you are on a diet program, then be smart in choosing the type of food, the same dose but different types of food has a different quantity of calories.

Kidney disorders

Eating peanuts that have been flavored previously can threaten the health of kidney and cause some other health problems because of high sodium content in it. Some other health problems that may arise such as cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, fragility and bone loss or osteoporosis, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and hypertension.

Do keep in mind that peanuts are also beneficial for the balance of body system performance if consumed within reasonable limits because it contains natural sodium and mineral. That being said, let’s be aware of the amount of food we eat and also the hygiene.

Also read: Dangers of Eating Noodles Everyday