Dragon fruits are an excellent source of nutrition. They have a tasty flavor that many people like and there are several ways to consume it.
However, it might trigger nausea. You might feel like going to the bathroom all the time, making you wonder if dragon fruit causes constipation or diarrhea.
It is true that dragon fruit causes bloating and diarrhea.
The fruit contains fiber, sugar, and prebiotics that can cause stomach issues. But the question, does dragon fruit make you poop? Let’s find out in this article.
Does Dragon Fruit Make You Poop?
Fiber and sugar in the fruit encourage bowel motions, making you poop frequently (1). Dragon fruit can induce diarrhea if consumed in excess.
How, you ask? Because of the following reasons:
1. High Levels of Fiber
The fiber included in dragon fruit is crucial to the digestive process. Eating more fiber means having more water in your feces, making it softer and easier to pass through your intestines.
Constipation and certain forms of IBS might benefit greatly from fiber consumption. US Department of Agriculture suggests that one cup of dragon fruit gives you 7 grams of fiber (2).
An impressive 28% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) in dietary fiber may be found in just one cup of dragon fruit. Therefore, dragon fruit is a great way to get the fiber you need and fight constipation simultaneously.
2. Oligosaccharides
Bacteria, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are found in the stomach (3). They thrive in the presence of oligosaccharides, a kind of fiber found in dragon fruit. These microorganisms are referred to as good bacteria since they are crucial to your digestive system’s health and effective operation.
According to research, Dragon fruit’s prebiotic oligosaccharides have been shown to reduce the risk of gut infections and inflammation, including diarrhea, bowel dysfunction disorder, IBS, and ulcerative colitis (4). According to the US National Library of Medicine research, they can repair and enhance the health of digestive systems (5).
Why Does Dragon Fruit Make You Poop?
Dragon fruit has high sugar, prebiotics, and fiber content. Therefore, it is likely that you may poop more frequently. However, the impact varies depending on the variety of dragon fruit.
Also, dragon fruits are rich in prebiotics that help lubricate the bowels.
Consuming dragon fruits can help alleviate constipation since they cause you to poop. However, you should consume just little portions of dragon fruit regularly.
How Much Dragon Fruit Is Safe To Consume?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, people should consume at least 25 grams of fiber daily (6). If you aren’t accustomed to the consumption of a lot of dietary fiber, it’s best to ease into it gradually and drink lots of water.
Constipation might increase if you suddenly alter your fiber intake, resulting in stomach discomfort, bloating, cramping, gas and diarrhea.
Fructose and prebiotics are found in significant concentrations in dragon fruits, making you pee all over the place. Poop is produced from components found in dragon fruit that encourage bowel motions.
What Are the Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit?
There are several health advantages of dragon fruit, such as (7,8):
- Antioxidants including flavonoids, phenolic acid, and betacyanin abound in this fruit.
- You won’t find any trans fats or added sugars in it. Snacking on something like this might help you feel fuller between meals.
- Those with high blood pressure levels should consume dragon fruit. Healthy cells replace damaged insulin-producing cells in the pancreas with the help of this fruit.
- Dragon fruit has prebiotics, foods that nourish the beneficial bacteria in your stomach. They can enhance the balance of healthy and harmful bacteria in your intestines by increasing the amount in your system. Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in dragon fruit help with digestion. Disease-causing viruses and bacteria can be killed, and other beneficial bacteria in your intestines can thrive.
- It can boost your body’s ability to fight against diseases.
- Vitamin C and other immune-boosting antioxidants abound in dragon fruit.
- It can raise your blood iron levels. It is a source of iron, helping your body move oxygen throughout and boost vitality.
What are the Health Hazards of Consuming Dragon Fruits?
Dietary Fiber Overconsumption
Dragon fruit is good for your stomachs and digestive systems if you eat it regularly and reasonably. It makes you poop easily, fighting your constipation in the process.
Because of the inherent laxative properties of the dragon fruit’s dietary fibers, regular bowel movements and easy stool removal are possible. In addition to relieving constipation, this also alleviates other digestive issues, such as stomach discomfort and bloating.
Dragon fruit should be consumed in moderation despite the various health advantages of dietary fiber. Overconsumption of dietary fibers has been linked to multiple unpleasant health effects, including constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, indigestion, and other digestive discomforts (9,10).
Efficient water absorption is another benefit of dietary fiber. It helps in the alleviation of diarrhea. Excessive consumption of dietary fibers without adequate hydration can lead to health difficulties such as indigestion, an increased risk of constipation, and cramps.
Excessive Antioxidants
Phytonutrients, polyphenols, carotenoids, and other antioxidant substances, including vitamin C, are abundant in dragon fruit, making it a great source of antioxidants.
The antioxidants‘ primary goal is to defend the cells and tissues from oxidative damage. It stabilizes free radicals and prevents them from causing oxidative damage to the cells and tissues. They also help in the normal clearance of toxins from the system, reducing the stress on the essential organs like the liver and kidneys and allowing them to focus on other jobs they must do.
Many additional health advantages, such as boosting the immune system and enhancing cardiovascular health, can also be gained from antioxidants.
However, it has been shown that consuming excessive amounts of antioxidants over an extended period can harm your health. According to National Cancer Institute research, smokers who used high dosages of beta-carotene supplements for an ample time had a higher risk of lung cancer than those who did not take the antioxidant (11).
Antioxidants have an unfavorable effect on your cells because of the way they interact with the cells. Antioxidants only target the free radicals that cause oxidative harm to your system when consumed in moderation. In the absence of free radicals, antioxidants can harm healthy cells in the vicinity, leading to oxidative damage.
Allergic Reactions
Among the various nutrients found in dragon fruit is a wide range of good substances for human health. These include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols, phytonutrients, and dietary fibers. You can reap dragon fruit’s advantages by incorporating it into your diet.
But, these advantages aren’t available to everyone in the same way. Those who are allergic to dragon fruit should stay as far away from it as possible. If you are allergic to dragon fruit, don’t eat it. It might cause symptoms like swollen lips and tongue, itchy throat, and burning throat.
Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
Dragon fruit consumption on a regular and moderate basis has proven to be extremely advantageous for diabetics and those at risk of diabetes (12). The dragon fruit’s dietary fibers slow down the pace at which sugar enters circulation. As a result, diabetes may be managed more effectively.
Even though dragon fruit is good for diabetics, it’s best to take it in moderation to be safe. Dragon fruit can create dangerously low blood sugar levels; it raises the risk of hypoglycemia (13). Symptoms of hypoglycemia include excessive sweat, dizziness, weariness, hunger, lightheadedness, disorientation, and tingling in the lips and other body parts.
Hypotension
Regular and moderate consumption of dragon fruit can help keep blood pressure under control because of its potassium content. Potassium is a necessary element that helps to lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow (14).
Even though dragon fruit has been shown to help lower blood pressure, it is always best to avoid caution and limit your intake. This is because excess potassium in the body might produce hypotension, which lowers blood pressure to dangerously low levels (15). Symptoms of hypotension include nausea, weariness, dizziness, hazy vision, and loss of consciousness.
Weight Gain
Dragon fruit’s low-calorie content is a major factor in losing weight. The dietary fibers in dragon fruit help you feel fuller for longer, reducing your desire to overeat. If you restrict your overeating, you can reduce your risk of obesity and other health issues related.
Yet, you should remember that dragon fruit should be consumed in moderation.
Eating too many dragon fruits might increase your overall calorie intake, making you gain weight even if you generally maintain a balanced diet and have adequate calories.
Consumption of Dragon Fruit When Pregnant
Pregnancy is a significant time. The mother must eat a nutritious diet during this time. Her diet and fluid intake during pregnancy affect her health and the health of her unborn child.
Pregnant women should eat dragon fruit since it is a good source of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and polyphenols.
Polyphenols, Phytonutrients, and other antioxidant chemicals like vitamin C shield the uterus and growing fetus from the oxidative damage produced by the body’s free radicals (16). The immune system is boosted, resulting in a healthy pregnancy.
The vitamins and minerals they contain, such as vitamin B complex and A, zinc, magnesium, and ferrous sulfate, are also beneficial to the mother and baby during pregnancy. Dragon’s dietary fibers include natural laxative effects that help combat or prevent constipation, making the mother poop safely.
Moreover, if the mother-to-be is anemic, doctors may suggest dragon fruits because it boosts blood hemoglobin synthesis (17).
Dragon fruit is considered safe for pregnant women (18). Of course, you should always consult your doctor before consuming this exotic fruit in large quantities.
It might interact with any medicine you are taking at the time of your pregnancy. So, nursing moms should consume dragon fruit in moderation. Consuming too much dragon fruit can lead to digestive issues, including bloating, flatulence, and indigestion in both the mother and the baby.
FAQs
Is dragon fruit safe to eat at night?
You should not consume dragon fruit late at night. If you don’t exercise at night, eating too much dragon fruit can lead to obesity since the fruit’s glucose is easily absorbed.
Do dragon fruits cause you to poop?
Yes. Dragon fruits can cause you to poop. If you consume an excessive amount of dragon fruits, you run the risk of being ill.
Can you get sick from eating dragon fruit?
Dragon fruit has no known side effects or health hazards. However, in some situations, they can cause anaphylaxis. There have been two known incidences of severe allergic reactions to dragon fruit.
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