Pineapple is good stuff, both sweet and tart, full of nutrition. It was once considered so special and exotic that only royalty could afford it. But as with anything, there can be too much of a good thing.
Despite the fact that it is now much more available and affordable than it once was, you may still want to make eating pineapple a special thing.
Too much can lead to diabetes, tooth decay, and allergic reactions. It contains a powerful compound called bromelain, which one the one hand, may be able to kill cancer cells. But on the other, it messes with prescription medications and can cause serious bleeding issues.
1. Blood Sugar Problems
Usually we say that you don’t have to worry about the sugars in fruit as long as you’re watching out for added sugars in every other product under the sun. However, pineapple happens to be pretty high in sugar and eating a lot of it every day can spike blood sugar levels.
Chronically high blood sugar is a major risk factor for diabetes. One whole pineapple has over 122 grams of carbohydrates and will take up over 40% of your daily recommended value.
2. Allergies
Pineapple is actually a fairly common allergen. The symptoms are generally mild, but can be severe in the most sensitive people. Usually those affected will experience tender, swollen lips and an itchy or tingling sensation in the throat. A more serious reaction might include hives and vomiting.
Except in the most severe cases, the symptoms will subside on their own within a few hours. However, eating pineapple every day despite an allergic reaction puts an incredible amount of stress on the body. It triggers inflammation that can lead to a bunch of other diseases, not to mention make you quite unnecessarily uncomfortable.
3. Bromelain Overdose
Bromelain is a compound that occurs naturally in pineapple, and has been shown to have numerous health benefits. It can support cardiovascular health and reduce pain caused by inflammation. It may even play a role in combatting the growth of cancer cells.
However, too much bromelain has side effects. These include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, as well as heavier-than-normal menstrual bleeding. That last issue may be connected to bromelain’s ability to thin blood. For this reason, it should never be consumed before or after surgery.
4. Drug Interactions
Because bromelain thins the blood, people who take blood thinners should not eat pineapple. Other drugs may interact with bromelain as well, including antibiotics, sedatives, and anti-seizure drugs.
Generally bromelain increases the effectiveness of the drugs, which sounds like a good thing, but actually puts you in the position to overdose without realizing it.
Bromelain may also increase the side effects from taking medication, especially antibiotics. Eating pineapple along with amoxicillin, for example, may lead to nasty stuff like chest pain, bloody nose, chills, fever, and dizziness.
5. Tooth Decay
Pineapple is highly acidic. Eating a whole one every day exposes your teeth’s enamel to a lot of wear and tear. The problem is made worse if you brush after eating, as your enamel will be softened by the acid and more easily worn away by your toothbrush.
Once your enamel is gone, it’s gone. You may then experience extreme sensitivity to heat and cold, as well as acidic and spicy foods. But while eating too much pineapple can be problematic, in smaller amounts that acid can help remove surface stains and give you a brighter smile. It’s best to drink some water after eating pineapple to keep the stuff from hanging around too long.
6. Mega Nutrition
Pineapple is a highly nutritious fruit, but eating too much can overdose you on certain vitamins and minerals. Just one cup provides 131% of RDA for vitamin C and 76% RDA of manganese. Eating a whole pineapple is likely to put you well over the limit.
The worst that might happen when you get too much vitamin C is diarrhea, but too much manganese can lead to side effects that resemble Parkinson’s, such as tremors, as well as liver disease.
Pineapple contains other essential nutrients in lesser amounts, including vitamin B6, copper, thiamin, and folate. It doesn’t end there – pineapple also contains potassium, magnesium, iron, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and niacin, as well as trace amounts of vitamins A and K, phosphorus, zinc, and calcium.
7. Bromelain Benefits
We’ve talked about concerns with bromelain, especially its tendency to interfere with prescription drugs. But it also does a lot of good in the body. Bromelain is thought to ease digestion by breaking down proteins so that they are more easily used by the body. As a powerful anti-inflammatory, bromelain is also useful in treating conditions like arthritis.
Here’s the best news: test tube studies have found that bromelain suppresses the growth of cancer cells, especially those found in the skin, bile duct, gastric system, and colon. More broadly, it also stimulates the immune system and helps white blood cells more effectively suppress and even kill cancer cells.
Long story short, pineapple is a healthy fruit with balanced nutrition – but you can definitely eat too much of it. No one ever overdosed back when it cost about $8,000 per fruit, but nowadays you’ll find that a pineapple a day is too much of a good thing.
If you’re allergic, you’ll feel briefly uncomfortable every time you eat it, but all it takes is a month of overindulgence to see some lasting negative effects. Choose pineapple as just one element in a diverse salad of fruits and veggies to get all the incredible benefits without the risks.
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