Take the risk of curing cancer?
https://hsionline.com/2019/03/07/slam-the-brakes-on-cancer-wonder-fruit/
Pawpaw is the most cancer curing fruit yet studied. The risk is in not eating it.
Don’t forget dandelions. The roots produce one of the most potent cancer fighting chemicals known.
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So healthy people should consume anti cancer medication? Taking this logic further - healthy people should take statins, non diabetic people take diabetes medication etc?
Every food/drug is a trade off. With pawpaws the trade off might be atypical Parkinsonism.
I do consume a fair bit of pawpaws in season but I restrict myself to 1 a day at the very most. The risk/reward curve for pawpaws doesn’t favor higher consumption for normal/healthy people.
Statins have no statistical benefit to health, the significant and serious side effects for ~4% out weigh the minor benefit for 1%.
Medications are made to cause more trouble than they solve, I’ll go for them in emergencies only, and often not then either.
And non-diabetic people should stick to a more “diabetic” diet, low carb, high fat, high protein.
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I actually do think healthy people are supposed to take statins. Am I missing something? They prevent heart attacks they dont treat them after.
All people with diabetes are supposed to be on them for the heart protective qualities. I take them and I didn’t have high cholesterol
We don’t have this kind of data for pawpaws, if we did we wouldn’t be having this argument. The argument is that it’s a similar case for pawpaws
Yes, the risks outweigh the benefits unless you have high cholesterol, this is pretty widely known
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I can’t grow cherimoya or custard apple, so pawpaws are as close as I can get.
Don’t know about roots, but the tops are nasty.
Teeth are shot, so any fruit I can eat is good. I have not been following this thread. Are people worried pawpaws cause cancer?
Here is Google on it…
No, pawpaws do not cause cancer ; instead, researchers are actually studying compounds in pawpaws for their potential to fight cancer cells. [1]
What the Science Says
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No link to causing cancer: There is no scientific evidence that eating pawpaw fruit causes cancer. [1]
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Lab studies on cancer cells: Pawpaw contains natural plant compounds called annomaceous acetogenins. In laboratory test tubes, these compounds can block cellular energy production and kill certain cancer cells. [1, 2, 3]
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Not a proven treatment: These anti-cancer effects have only been shown in lab dishes and animal studies. There are no large-scale human clinical trials proving that pawpaw can prevent or treat cancer in people. [1]
Potential Risks and Side Effects
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Digestive upset: Eating too much pawpaw pulp or consuming the skin and seeds (which have higher concentrations of toxins) can cause nausea, vomiting, or mild allergic rashes. [1, 2]
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Neurotoxicity concerns: Pawpaws belong to the custard apple family, which contains annonacin, a known neurotoxin. While moderate, occasional eating of the ripe fruit is generally considered safe by food safety authorities, consuming massive amounts or concentrated dietary supplements over a long period could theoretically pose neurological risks. [1, 2]
No,
The worry is about atypical Parkinsonism. Which is WORSE than Parkinson’s.
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If the new pawpaw varieties are problem child’s and not good eating, they won’t sell to those in the know. I like big, tasty fruit and healthy, vigorous, productive trees.
OK, thanks.
Here is Google on it.
Eating large amounts of North American pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) is linked to a rare risk of atypical parkinsonism and progressive supranuclear palsy due to a neurotoxin called annonacin. [1, 2]
Why Pawpaws Contain Neurotoxins
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Annonacin content: Pawpaws contain annonacin, a natural chemical compound in the acetogenin family. [1, 2]
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Mitochondrial damage: Annonacin acts as a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, depleting cell energy (ATP) and causing neuron death. [1]
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Family ties: Pawpaws belong to the custard apple family (Annonaceae), which includes tropical fruits like soursop that have also been studied for neurotoxic effects. [1, 2, 3]
The Risk of Atypical Parkinsonism
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Similar symptoms: The condition linked to these toxins resembles treatment-resistant Parkinson’s disease, featuring stiffness, slow movement, and balance issues, alongside potential dementia or brain atrophy. [1]
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Case reports: Medical literature includes isolated case studies of individuals in the United States who developed progressive supranuclear palsy after habitually consuming high quantities of pawpaw fruit over many years. [1, 2, 3]
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Dose dependence: Moderate or occasional consumption of ripe pawpaw pulp has a long history of safe food use, and experts believe the typical seasonal intake poses a very low risk for most people. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Safety Recommendations
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Practice moderation: Enjoy pawpaws in normal, seasonal amounts rather than consuming massive quantities year-round or concentrating the toxin (such as through heavy skin/seed ingestion or extreme dehydration methods).
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Remove skin and seeds: Always discard the skin and seeds, which contain higher concentrations of neurotoxins than the edible flesh. [1, 2, 3]
I had a few pawpaws about 12 years ago then could not find any at the famers markets here. This year I got 3 small ones. I’m old and only got a few years left at best. Guess I will just take the chance.
Yes, While pawpaws are a delicious fruit, they are meant to be enjoyed in moderation. I restrict myself to 1 a day and give the rest away. And especially avoid the seed and skin areas.
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My father was on the review board of the NIH.
He has lots of research compiled about statins and the statistics say that 10,000 people need to take them to save one life, and at that rate, I can’t remember how many, let’s say 15 will for from the side effects, so no, they are not useful in the real world.
“Bad" cholesterol may be an indicator of a high level of fat soluable free radicals, but cholesterol itself is not a problem; that’s why Sweden entirely have up testing cholesterol and olny tests for cortisol in their standard screenings.
“…29% of all statin users were likely to experience side effects (which they then removed once health activists publicized this hypocrisy).
Nonetheless, when independent researchers looked at the published trials (which almost certainly inflated the benefit of statin therapy) they found22 that taking a statin daily for approximately 5 years resulted in you living, on average, 3-4 days longer…”
Well obviously. You’re not supposed to eat the skin or seeds! That goes for lots of fruits! Mango has toxic skin. Many fruits have toxic seeds, like cherries.
And many things that cure cancer are supposedly poison, like apricot seeds.