Intestinal obstruction due to eating too much persimmon and bamboo shoots

Recently, there have been some people who have had to undergo surgery due to eating crispy persimmons. According to experts, not only persimmons but also some fibrous fruits, bamboo shoots, etc. can easily cause intestinal obstruction if eaten in large quantities.

Hospitalized for eating crispy persimmons

The Department of Gastroenterology (Hue Central Hospital) received 7 cases of intestinal obstruction due to food residue, the main cause of which was eating crispy persimmons. The patients admitted to the hospital all had common symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, and constipation. Through ultrasound and endoscopy, doctors discovered intestinal obstruction due to food residue. The patients had to undergo surgery.

Talking to PV of Family and Society Newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Vinh - Director of the Digestive Center of E Hospital said that he had treated several cases of intestinal obstruction due to eating persimmons. Normally, this mass of food residue can still be cut into small pieces by endoscopy, but because the food residue is tightly bound into a solid mass, surgery is required. If intestinal obstruction is not treated promptly, it can easily lead to serious complications such as intestinal necrosis, peritonitis, and endanger life.

However, according to Dr. Vinh, not everyone who eats crispy persimmons will have intestinal obstruction. Intestinal obstruction due to food residue is common in patients with weak teeth, poor chewing, or intestinal or colon diseases, or a history of surgery in the abdomen and stomach area.

Don't eat too many persimmons, especially when you're hungry.

MSc. Dr. Doan Thi Tuong Vi - Nutrition Clinic (Hanoi Center for Preventive Medicine) affirmed that crispy persimmon is a very good fruit in terms of nutrition. Persimmon provides vitamins and minerals that are good for health, mainly vitamin C, beta carotene, sugar (100g persimmon has 8.6g glucid). In addition, persimmon also contains tannin - astringent and pectin. When eating green persimmon or unripe persimmon, people often feel astringent. Tannin and pectin are substances that tighten the intestinal mucosa, affecting intestinal motility. Eating too much, especially when hungry, tannins, pectin combined with the relatively high fiber content in persimmon (100g persimmon has 2.5g fiber) will coagulate under the effect of stomach acid; easily causing bloating, indigestion, even feeling nauseous, vomiting... Eating too much will coagulate, forming a mass in the small intestine, easily leading to intestinal obstruction.

“If you are not careful, the substances in persimmons can turn into harmful substances for the body. Therefore, you should only eat persimmons when you are full. When eating, you should not eat them with foods that are too high in protein, which will slow down digestion and easily cause food clumping. People who are often constipated, have a poor digestive system; children who eat quickly, do not chew thoroughly, or people who have had intestinal damage, have a history of abdominal surgery, especially the stomach, should not eat this fruit. If you eat it, you should eat less or switch to eating ripe persimmons, which will be better. In particular, the elderly have weak teeth, do not chew thoroughly, and have reduced intestinal motility and salivary glands, so eating persimmons will slow down intestinal motility even more. Food easily forms clumps into food residue, and when it cannot be excreted, it can easily cause intestinal obstruction,” MSc. Dr. Doan Thi Tuong Vi warned.

Prevent intestinal obstruction

According to Dr. Nguyen Thuy Vinh, in addition to the factor of food not being crushed before moving into the stomach and digestive tract, intestinal obstruction due to food cysts also depends on eating habits and the characteristics of each type of food. Some astringent fruits, foods with a lot of fiber such as sapodilla, bamboo shoots, figs, jackfruit, corn... also easily form food cysts. When they go down to the intestines, they easily ball up into a lump, causing intestinal obstruction and bloating. Therefore, people should not eat too much at once, especially when hungry.

Experts recommend that the tannin in persimmons is concentrated in the peel. Soaking persimmons to remove the astringent taste cannot completely remove the tannin. Therefore, peel off the skin before eating.

If intestinal obstruction due to food residue is not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can lead to unpredictable complications in children such as frequent vomiting, severe abdominal pain if there is intestinal obstruction or intestinal perforation. Less serious complications include poor appetite or refusal to eat, dehydration, weight loss, enteritis, etc.

To prevent the risk of creating a mass of food in the digestive tract and avoid intestinal obstruction, people need to pay attention when eating to cook and simmer food for children and the elderly. When eating, chew thoroughly, do not eat too quickly or swallow, do not eat too much vegetables and fruits with tannin and high fiber content, especially those with a history of dental disease, digestive disease or have had stomach or intestinal surgery... When there are signs of digestive system disease, you need to go to the doctor for early diagnosis, avoid diseases that can cause intestinal narrowing. After eating, if you experience abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody stools or inability to defecate, you need to go to the hospital immediately to detect the disease promptly.

“When eating persimmons, you should only eat them when you are full. You should not eat persimmons with foods that are too high in protein, as this will slow down digestion and easily cause food to clump together.

For people with constipation, poor digestive system, children who eat quickly, do not chew thoroughly or people who have intestinal damage, have a history of abdominal surgery, especially stomach, should not eat this fruit. If you eat, you should eat less or switch to eating ripe persimmons, which will be more delicious and better.

Especially for the elderly, weak teeth, poor chewing, reduced intestinal motility and salivary glands, eating persimmons will slow down intestinal motility even more. Food easily forms into clumps of food residue, which when not excreted can easily cause intestinal obstruction.

According to SK&DS