Eat the right persimmons and your life will be as you wish

Author: Yu Feifei, attending physician of the Navy Specialty Medical Center

Reviewer: Xie Yi, deputy chief physician of Navy Specialty Medical Center

"Sand gulls go to the path to catch fish, wild birds call to each other, persimmons are red." As late autumn quietly approaches, we usher in the best season to taste persimmons. The red persimmons not only capture people's taste buds with their sweet taste, but also are deeply loved by people for their beautiful meaning of "everything goes well". Persimmons, known as the "holy fruit among fruits", are rich in nutritional value, including carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, carotenoids, vitamin C and other nutrients. These ingredients can not only provide the human body with necessary energy, but also have many health benefits such as clearing away heat and detoxification, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation.

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However, as everything has its two sides, although persimmons are good, excessive consumption may bring unexpected problems. Mr. Liu, 60, is a persimmon farmer in the southern region. The persimmons he grows are big and sweet. Not only are they hot-selling, but he also loves to eat them. Every year during the persimmon harvest season, he eats persimmons for almost three meals a day. Recently, he began to feel stomach bloating and discomfort, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. After a gastroscopy, the doctor found that he had a stone with a diameter of about 8 cm in his stomach. This stone is called "gastric stone" or "persimmon stone". Mr. Liu eventually underwent multiple stone removal treatments under endoscopy. Mr. Liu's case reminds us that even nutritious foods need to be consumed in moderation, otherwise they may have adverse effects on health.

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Research has found that persimmons contain a substance called tannic acid, also known as tannin. This substance is particularly abundant in immature persimmons. As persimmons mature, the tannic acid content gradually decreases, but is still higher than other fruits. Tannic acid has a certain astringent effect, and a moderate intake can help stop diarrhea, but if taken in excess, it may cause constipation and affect the body's absorption of minerals such as iron and calcium.

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There are two main theories about the formation of "persimmon stones". The first view is that tannic acid is easy to self-aggregate and very easy to combine with protein. The strong interaction between the two easily leads to the formation of precipitates. The second view points out that unripe persimmons contain a large amount of soluble tannins, which are easy to polymerize in an acidic environment to form a gelatinous coagulant. This coagulant can attach to cellulose, hemicellulose and protein in the stomach, thereby inducing the formation of stones. Stones can grow in the stomach cavity or in the small intestine.

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The harm of persimmon stones should not be underestimated. When the stones are small, patients generally have no symptoms; when the stones grow larger, patients often experience digestive discomfort symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and bloating. In some cases, stones repeatedly irritate the digestive tract mucosa and may also cause serious problems such as gastric ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, and black stools. More seriously, if gastric stones enter the intestines, they may cause intestinal obstruction, and even complications such as intestinal perforation and intestinal gangrene, which may eventually lead to shock and endanger life.

So, should we give up eating persimmons? The answer is obviously no. In fact, many common fruits such as hawthorn, pomegranate, grape, apple, peach, etc. also contain tannic acid, but the content varies. We cannot completely refuse to eat fruits just because they contain tannic acid. The key is to control the intake and the correct way to eat them. The tannic acid content in persimmon peel is relatively high, so it is recommended to peel it before eating.

While enjoying the deliciousness and nutrition brought by persimmons, we should also pay attention to the balance of diet. For the elderly and children with weak digestive system functions, they should pay more attention to controlling the amount of consumption and avoid eating persimmons with high-protein, high-fiber, high-calcium foods to reduce the risk of stone formation.

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In short, eating persimmons in moderation can not only enjoy their deliciousness and nutrition, but also avoid health problems caused by excessive consumption. While enjoying food, we should also pay attention to health and "eat in moderation and do what we can". In this way, we can maintain physical health and vitality while enjoying life.