Eating too much bananas can kill you

Question

This article by Eat This, Not That! states the dangers of eating too much bananas and mentions about potential overdose on bananas with its side effects. The article ends off by telling you to eat bananas in moderation. Does eating too much bananas raise your chances of death?

Answer 1

It is true you can overdose on bananas, but it's highly unlikely. According to BBC.com, you can overdose on bananas, but it's highly unlikely a healthy person can. It would take 400 bananas to overdose. The article states, "Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level." To americanize, that's 0.1234589 ounces per day, The average banana is 4.40925 ounces, containing 0.015873283 ounces of potassium. To answer your second question, It's generally unclear, however, if you do consume too much potassium on a daily you can develop a disease called hyperkalemia, which can lead to long-term effects like abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, irregular, fast, or fluttering heartbeat limbs that are weak or numb. All in all, you can die from bananas. However, It is difficult to and there are long-term effects, but it's again hard to tell or to develop. 

sources:

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hyperkalemia-potassium-importance

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34225517#:~:text=But%20for%20a%20healthy%20person,%2C%20very%20good%20for%20you.%22

https://www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/hyperkalemia-high-potassium

Comments

Interesting research! It’s surprising to think about how many bananas would actually be needed to reach dangerous potassium levels. Did your sources mention any differences in potassium tolerance based on factors like age, kidney function, or overall diet? Also, it's intriguing to see how specific the potassium calculations were! This shows how even common foods can have unexpected effects when consumed in extreme quantities.

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This is very interesting. I like your response and the evidence you provided to support the claim. You also made it clear that it is very unlikely for someone to overdose on bananas but that it is possible. Good job on providing three credible sources!

Answer 2

It is highly unlikely however, anything can be a poison in the right dose, so I suppose it is possible. An article by Bureau Veritas North America states: "Bananas contain potassium, and since potassium decays, that makes the yellow fruit slightly radioactive. But don’t worry—you’d need to eat ten million bananas in one sitting to die of banana-induced radiation poisoning." It is extremely unlikely that one would consume enough bananas in one sitting to kill them. 

Sources:

https://www.bvna.com/insight/fun-scientific-facts#:~:text=But%20don't%20worry%E2%80%94you,of%20banana%2Dinduced%20radiation%20poisoning.&text=Stomach%20acid%20is%20strong%20enough,pH%20of%202%20to%203. 

Comments

Thank you for this! You did a great job referencing a reliable source! This claim reminds me of the idea that eating apple seeds can kill you, however while technically speaking while it is true it is very misleading, so thank you for tagging your answer as such.

Answer 3

Overall, the article’s information seems to be true. Eating bananas is safe for most people as part of a healthy diet. However, eating too many bananas might cause some mild digestive problems for sensitive people. The article is based on nutrition science, but it would be better with specific medical studies. Also, I think the title "Eating too much bananas can kill you" is a little exaggerated, although it certainly grabs people's attention. In terms of source and author quality, the source "Eat This, Not That" isn’t an academic source. Some content is fact-checked, but it doesn’t always refer to original research. So, it would be better to check with trusted studies. The writer, Rebecca Strong, seems to have a lot of experience in health writing, but she isn’t an expert in nutritional science or gastroenterology. It can be said that she likely depends on information from other sources and quotes from experts. Also, the article was published in 2021, so it doesn't include the latest research. 

These are sources for supporting the article.

https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2883%2980163-2/fulltext

https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/bananas/

Comments

This is a good response. You did well to not completely invalidate the original claim, as eating too many bananas (or anything for that matter) isn't good for you, but you also point out the places of exaggeration and the points at which the support for the claim fall a little flat. You did well in providing other sources that speak on the same content but do so in a more academic and/or trustworthy way, and give options for where one might find higher-quality sources. Nice work!

Answer 4

This source does not say that eating too many bananas can kill you. The only real mention of death in this is when one of their experts clarifies that "eating too much of any single food is not a good idea". The article just says that you should be eating a range of foods, not just one singular fruit or vegetable. Additionally, "raise your chances of death" is misleading as this article does not say anything about increasing chances of dying after eating an immense amount of bananas. However, the site does provide information about their authors and they all are certified with their information linked. I do believe this cite is credible, just that this specific claim is not entirely true.

https://www.eatthis.com/warning-sign-eating-too-many-bananas/

https://www.eatthis.com/medical-review-board/

Answer 5

There is little to no backing behind bananas raising your risk of death. However, eating any food in extreme excess is dangerous if just for the lack of other nutrients needed for a balanced diet. Bananas are known to be an excellent source of potassium with around 450mg of potassium in each one. Harvard Health Publishing wrote that "Among all fruits, bananas are one of best sources of potassium, with about 450 milligrams (mg) per banana. Healthy adults not on certain medications should aim for 4,700 mg of potassium daily, although few Americans meet this goal." It's true however that if you have a history with digestive issues you might have them worsened by eating too many bananas. The Health Site wrote that this "mainly happens due to the high fiber content in bananas. And, consuming an excessive amount of fiber can cause abdominal cramps, gas, bloating." For risk of death though, you would need to consume an number of bananas that would be dangerous for you to have of any food.

Sources:

https://www.eatthis.com/warning-sign-eating-too-many-bananas/

https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/diet/7-dangerous-side-effects-of-eating-too-many-bananas-922413/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/fruit-of-the-month-bananas#:~:text=Among%20all%20fruits%2C%20bananas%20are,few%20Americans%20meet%20this%20goal.