Things aren’t always safe just because they’re popular. This is the case with betel nuts, which people in some parts of Asia and the Pacific have been eating for hundreds or even thousands of years. The WHO now says that this nut is a carcinogen, which is a shame because this practice is very dangerous even though it is very common. Know these things.Millions of people around the world chew betel nuts every day. They have a long past in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. The most basic form of a betel nut is a seed from the A. catechu palm tree.
People often chew on it after it has been ground up or sliced and wrapped in lime-coated Piper betel vine leaves. This is called a “betel quid.” Spices of tobacco that taste good can also be added. A lot of people chew betel nuts because it gives them energy and makes them feel happy and healthy. This is because the nut has chemicals in it called alkaloids that make adrenaline flow. Some traditional views also say that it may help with several health issues, from dry mouth to digestive issues. However, research has shown that this nut is bad news, even though there are a few studies that aren’t full or weren’t followed up on that show possible benefits.
More in-depth studies have shown that using betel nuts daily is very bad for your health. In some groups, it has been linked to record rates of cancer. Betel nut is known to cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). An important link has been found between using betel nuts and getting mouth and esophageal cancer. A study in the Journal of the American Dental Association says that people who use betel nuts have a greater chance of getting mouth submucous fibrosis. This is an untreatable illness that can make the mouth stiff and finally make it impossible to move the jaw.
Chewing betel nuts all the time can also irritate your gums and damage your teeth, leaving your teeth forever stained deep red or even black. An early study in the American Society for Clinical Nutrition found a strong link between eating betel nuts and a higher chance of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and being overweight. Also, betel nuts might not work well with some medicines or herbal supplements, and they might make you sick or lessen the benefits of medicines you are already taking. If you use betel nuts often, you might become dependent on them and experience withdrawal effects.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States says that you should not chew or eat betel nuts. The nut has been added to its database of poisonous plants. The CDC says that using betel nuts can lead to several health problems, such as oral submucous fibrosis, oral cancer, addiction, and problems with reproduction, such as babies being born with low birth weight.
Even though these health risks are scary, eating betel nuts is still a tradition in many places. The WHO says that about 600 million people use some type of betel nut. It is one of the most common drugs used for mental health issues in the world. But health groups and countries all over the world are working to make people more aware of the risks of betel nuts and cut down on their use. Taiwan has made every day “Betel Nut Prevention Day,” and in Taipei, people who are caught spitting betel nut juice are now fined and have to go to withdrawal classes.
WHO has put out an action plan to cut down on betel nut use in the Western Pacific. The plan calls for a mix of policy changes, public education programs, and reaching out to communities.