January 9, 2024 | 03:25 pm PT
I wish to eat canine meat and drink alcohol on chilly days. Is consuming canine meat dangerous for my well being, and may I eat it usually? (Tu, 37, Hanoi)
Reply:
The mix of canine meat and alcohol is favored by many males on chilly days resulting from their scrumptious taste and excessive dietary worth.
Nevertheless, consuming canine meat can pose a number of well being issues, particularly when many locations serve meat that’s nonetheless unclear or doubtful by way of origin.
A part of canine meat bought at shops might come from stolen or abused canines, and thus it could pose many dangers. Stray canines usually carry cyanide, which is a extremely poisonous substance. In the course of the cooking course of, warmth can convert cyanide into hydrocyanic acid, which can be a particularly poisonous substance, posing a risk to those that are uncovered to it. Consuming toxic canine meat can result in digestive disturbances and even make the nervous and cardiovascular programs affected.
A canine transported in a cage in Vietnam. Picture by Shuttlestock/Kanjanee Chaisin |
Furthermore, canines’ our bodies can include varied harmful pathogens corresponding to roundworms, tapeworms, E. coli micro organism, and particularly the rabies virus (if the canine is rabid). If canine meat shouldn’t be cooked completely, individuals who eat it may be vulnerable to an infection from these pathogens.
Normally, canine meat carries a excessive danger of containing varied sorts of parasites. Many sorts of tapeworms from canines cannot solely parasitize our intestines but in addition migrate and assault varied different organs such because the liver, eyes, and even the mind, inflicting a number of harmful issues for many who eat it.
Consuming an extreme quantity of canine meat or doing so too continuously can be the reason for ailments like gout, weight problems, electrolyte imbalance, and dehydration. Overconsumption can result in an extra of protein, elevating the degrees of uric acid within the blood, which is a contributing issue to hypertension.
Dr. Le Van Thieu
Nationwide Hospital Of Tropical Ailments