Eating crayfish beware of "lobster disease" Eating seafood is contraindicated to know

Source: Economic Daily - China Economic Network

At present, it is the season of eating crayfish, coupled with the recent start of the European Championship, fans often choose beer with crayfish, seafood, etc., while eating and watching the game. But while enjoying the delicious food, we must also be wary of a disease, that is, "lobster disease". What exactly is "lobster disease"? What are the precautions for eating seafood? Below, the Economic Daily - China Economic Network Life Channel takes you to understand.

Economic Daily-China Economic Network Infographic Fu Yunpeng/Photo

What is "lobster disease"?

According to the Economic Daily -China Economic Network Life Channel, "lobster disease", also known as "Huff disease", is a rhabdomyolytic syndrome. Rhabdomyolysis syndrome refers to the damage of rhabdomyocytes, so that the integrity of the cell membrane changes, and substances such as proteins and ions enter the bloodstream and are finally excreted from the urine.

The onset of the disease is extremely rapid, with a minimum incubation period of 5 hours and a maximum of 13 hours, generally not exceeding 24 hours. The main symptoms are muscle aches or stiffness, accompanied by weakness or dysfunction, fever, malaise, and a brown or red wine-colored appearance of urine, which can cause damage to the kidneys and metabolic system in severe cases.

In addition to superficial symptoms, "lobster disease" will cause myoglobin in human muscle cells to slip into the bloodstream, and the destroyed muscle cells will secrete a large amount of potassium, which will cause hyperkalemia in the blood, which can cause cardiac arrest and endanger life in severe cases.

The cause of "lobster disease" is unknown so far

Why does eating crayfish cause rhabdomyolysis syndrome? It is understood that the exact cause of rhabdomyolysis syndrome has not been found so far. Some researchers have investigated the heavy metals in the crayfish, the number of crayfish eaten by the sick, the "shrimp washing powder" and other factors and found that there is no real causal relationship between the number of crayfish eaten and the severity of rhabdomyolysis syndrome, and heavy metals and "washing shrimp powder" are not the triggers for "Huff disease".

The causes of rhabdomyolysis syndrome are complex, including excessive exercise, metabolic disorders, drugs, poisons, autoimmunity, infections, etc., and it is not yet possible to assert that crayfish are the "culprits". But to be sure, eating crayfish is a high-risk causative factor.

Eating seafood 5 taboos

Not to be served with beer. When eating seafood, many people like to use it with beer, but in fact, this practice is very dangerous. Because drinking a lot of beer when eating seafood will produce too much uric acid, too much uric acid will be deposited in the joints and soft silk weaving, which will cause inflammation of the joints and soft tissues.

Do not eat raw. Because seafood contains a large number of parasitic eggs and bacteria, therefore, raw seafood must be cautious, do not blindly pursue the fresh and tender taste of seafood, it is recommended that it is best cooked to eat.

It should not be eaten with fruits. Most fruits contain vitamin C, and many seafood contain pentavalent arsenic, which theoretically translates into the dreaded trivalent arsenic (the legendary "arsenic") if large doses of vitamin C are combined with pentavalent arsenic to chemically react. In addition, a large amount of tannic acid in the fruit will affect the body's absorption of protein in seafood, and will also combine with the calcium in seafood to form insoluble calcium, which stimulates the gastrointestinal tract and causes abdominal pain and diarrhea when severe.

It is not advisable to drink tea right away. The reason why it is not advisable to drink tea after eating seafood is similar to the reason why it is not suitable for eating fruit. Because tea also contains tannic acid, it can also form insoluble calcium with calcium in seafood. Eating seafood before or after eating seafood increases the chances of combining calcium with tannic acid. Therefore, it is best not to drink tea when eating seafood. Similarly, it is also best to space more than 2 hours.

Chilled seafood should not be steamed. If seafood is placed in the refrigerator for a long time, the bacterial content will rise, and the protein will also change, producing amines. So if you want to taste the seafood, you must choose a particularly fresh one. Frozen seafood in the refrigerator can be fried.