Excessive meat eating on Eid may cause serious health threats

Islamabad: Eating too much meat on and after Eidul Azha may cause stomach related serious health threats along with complications even in apparently healthy persons while among chronic patients, the consumption of excessive amounts of heavy and spicy meat dishes regularly on Eid days may cause severe complications.

Experts suggest that healthy persons should eat meat in moderate quantity on Eid days and after Eid but the patients suffering from chronic ailments should eat only a little quantity of meat to avoid complications.

The patients suffering from diabetes whose kidneys are not working properly should eat only a little quantity of meat to avoid complications, said Deputy Director at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’.

He added the diabetics whose kidneys are working properly can eat meat dishes in moderate quantity like healthy persons because medically they are allowed to eat meat dishes, however, regular use of meat dishes on the three days of Eidul Azha or for a whole week may cause problems not only among diabetics but also among healthy persons.

Studies reveal that kidneys work to remove excess proteins from the body, so eating too much protein can stress them out, leading to kidney damage and even contributing to renal failure in some cases.

Dr. Khawaja said the best way to avoid health threats is that people should follow the teachings of Islam and should consume moderate quantity of food including meat. The best option is to follow the true philosophy of sacrifice and distribute meat among deserving persons, he said.

He said the chronic patients of hepatitis B and C are medically advised not to eat greater quantity of meat. The chronic patients of hepatitis B and C with ascites, accumulation of fluid in abdomen, or having history of blood vomiting can eat only up to 40 grams of meat in 24 hours, he explained while responding to a query.

If the chronic patients of hepatitis B and C consume a little heavier quantity of meat, they may face severe complications and fall unconscious or have blood vomiting or fits, he said.

Many health experts say that in case a patient of hepatitis B or C is found to be having irrelevant talk after eating meat, he or she should be taken to the healthcare facility immediately.

According to Dr. Khawaja, the patients of hepatitis B and C with normal functioning of liver and kidneys can have moderate quantity of meat but they should also avoid regular use of meat on Eid days and afterwards.

To a query, he said the patients suffering from complaints of peptic or duodenal ulcer should also consume limited quantity of meat on Eid days to avoid serious complications. “Heavy quantity of meat at one meal may cause health problems in all individuals including healthy ones and it should be avoided.”

It is worth mentioning here that eating excessive amounts of meat may cause heart disease, kidney diseases, osteoporosis (softening of bones), and cancer and can cause a number of serious complications among chronic patients.