Posted on 04/12/2024 12:23:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
14% of American adults are affected by chronic kidney disease – and anyone in that category should be very careful about how much watermelon they eat. A new series of case studies examines how a favorite fruit can cause life-threatening issues. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a slurpy bite of watermelon on a hot day. With the US watermelon season fast approaching, many are looking forward to eating the naturally sweet fruit. And because watermelon is made up of 92% water, nothing in it can cause health problems, right? Not quite.
A collection of three case studies recently published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine has identified an under-recognized problem: watermelon contains a surprising amount of potassium. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t cause a problem, but it certainly can be for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition that affects an estimated 35.5 million US adults – about 14% of the population.
In chronic kidney disease, the kidney can't effectively filter waste and water out of the blood In chronic kidney disease, the kidney can't effectively filter of the bloodDepositphotos CKD refers to all conditions that affect the kidney’s ability to filter blood and remove waste. As many as 9 out of 10 people with CKD don’t know they have it because it’s most often diagnosed at more advanced stages when symptoms become more apparent.
Why is potassium important, and why is high potassium bad?
Potassium is necessary for the normal functioning of all cells. It regulates the heartbeat, ensures that muscles contract and nerves function properly, and regulates fluid levels inside the cells.
A typical blood potassium level for adults is between 3.6 and 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). A potassium level below 3.5 mmol/L is considered low (hypokalemia), and above 5.5 mmol/L high (hyperkalemia).
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
Didn’t Liberace die of watermelon anemia?
If you suffer any adverse side effects (like death?) get medical attention immediately...................
Yikes!
At the time of Liberace’s death, his press agent said he had died from a combination of pernicious anemia, emphysema, and heart disease.[74][75] Liberace’s physician, Ronald Daniels, said he had died of heart failure caused by subacute encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease.[76][77] The Riverside County coroner performed an autopsy and determined that Liberace’s cause of death was cytomegalovirus pneumonia, a frequent cause of death in people with AIDS.[78][77] The coroner also determined that, at the time of his death, Liberace was HIV-positive, had pulmonary heart disease, and calcification of a heart valve.[76] The coroner said that Liberace’s doctor had deliberately claimed a false cause of death because heart failure never is caused by encephalopathy.[79] Author Darden Asbury Pyron wrote that Liberace had been HIV-positive and symptomatic from 1985 until his death.[80]
I think as kids, we did put salt on our watermelon but I don’t like it that way now. We had family reunions in the summers and watermelon was always part of those. Never warm - we kept watermelons in the milk house vat to keep cool until eating time...Why were they called vats?
Funny story - one year my husband and I were home (upstate NY) on vacation from CA and we went with my mom and stepdad to a family reunion at Harris Hill, Elmira, NY..My mother forgot to take the watermelon and sent my stepdad to get it. We all thought he’d go to the nearest market to get some but NO, he drove all the way back into PA to their farm to get the watermelon that my mother forgot..
I will be sure to call 911 in that case...
No, no, no. Don't eat it. You're' supposed to dry it and smoke it like the Native Americans hippies in the Northwest do.
Correct. If it was not potassium ion K+ then the Potassium would burst into explosive flames because of contact with water in the mellon.
I thought he died from bad meat in a can.
Is watermelon a new type of acid?
i guessed the issue must be that watermelon contains a huge amount of potassium .... that’s a good thing to know, not just for hyper for but also for hypo kalemia ...
Is everything now toxic?
sigh....is nothing sacred anymore?
Soon, it will be hot here in North Texas. And I play tennis, golf and work out and love it. And there is nothing like cold Texas Watermelon . God’s gift. Tom Thumb has it chilled. I eat a ton of it. Resting heartrate 45. blood pressure 110/69. Age 66. Fruits, grains, veggies, nuts.......God’s original diet and still the best diet. And Sabbath and Bible too.
I love watermelon, but can’t have it anymore. In fact, no melons of any kind. No cantaloupe or honeydew either. I became allergic to them about 20 years ago. They make me itch, not just inside my throat, but inside my ears, and every sinus cavity. You can’t scratch those. Makes me sad. Melons were one of my favorite fruits.
My dad put salt on his watermelon! I never developed the taste for it that way, but he loved it.
My favorite is "May cause explosive diarrhea!"
They then gave me liver kabob. It’s easy to digest and nourishing. That was the only time I had it in almost 6 years.
I have been selling watermelon seeds on the street 😁
That’s interesting. It’s not what I would expect to be grown in Afghanistan...not intended to be a joke about their major crop.
I wouldn’t know about liver kabob but I love fried chicken livers...guess they’re not good for you but I haven’t had any or seen any in years. May be a good thing!
They grow many types of melons in Afghanistan. The absolute best was one I encountered is a meal at the office of the governor of Mazaar-i-Sharif. It looked a pure white pumpkin with very dark green splotches and was served in cold wedges. The melon was also white. It tasted like the most delicious ice cream. Because it had a thin rind it couldn’t be shipped.
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