When we think of a healthy diet, fruit is often added to the menu. Many fruits are rich in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants – making them the perfect thing to eat when you need a low calorie, wellness boosting pick me up.

Star fruit is no exception. It is full of antioxidants that can provide various benefits that support healthy living. However, in some cases, it can be deadly.

Read on to find out more about star fruit’s dangers as we answer the question, can star fruit kill you?

What is Star Fruit?

Star fruit is a tropical fruiting tree native to tropical Asia. It is so named because when you slice into it, it appears star shaped. It is yellow or greenish in color and its taste can range from bitter to sweet.

Star Fruit Benefits

Star fruit contains many healthy substances. It is rich in plant compounds like quercetin, gallic acid and epicatechin. These compounds have powerful antioxidant properties and provide several health benefits.

Animal studies show that star fruit can be effective in reducing fatty liver risk and lowering cholesterol. It has also been shown to prevent liver cancer in mice and to reduce inflammation.

Can Star Fruit Kill You?

Although star fruit has many benefits, it also comes with its share of side effects and warnings.

The fruit is rich in oxalate. Oxalate is an organic compound found in many plants. Your body can also produce oxalate on its own.

Once oxalate is consumed, it binds to minerals to form compounds in the body such as calcium oxalate and iron oxalate. These compounds mostly form in the colon but they can also form in the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract.

Most people are able to eliminate these compounds in the stool or urine, but this isn’t always the case.

In some instances, they stay in the body to increase the risk of kidney damage and create toxicity within the body. This can lead to neurological problems such as confusion, seizures, and even death. Therefore, those with pre-existing kidney issues should stay away from star fruit.

In addition to being potentially damaging to the kidneys, star fruit can alter the way a drug is broken down in the body. Therefore, people taking prescription drugs should avoid eating it.

It can also reduce mineral absorption and cause kidney stones in otherwise healthy people.

Further claims state that star fruit has been linked to autism. Others say it may be an underlying cause of vulvodynia, a condition characterized by chronic vaginal pain. More studies are needed to determine whether either of these claims are true.

Hopefully this article has provided an answer to the question, can star fruit kill you? The fruit is quite healthy but it has also been linked to medical conditions and it can even cause death in those with kidney problems. Is eating it worth the risk? What do you think?

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Photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash