Why does eating pineapple make your mouth go numb? What is bromelain and what does it do?

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Are you afraid of fruit? Some friends may find it strange: the fruit is sweet and sour, what is there to be afraid of?

The fruit I am most afraid of is pineapple. This is because when I was a child, eating pineapple always made my mouth feel numb. Once, it even gave me a “stab” and bleed. …

It was this experience that left a great psychological shadow on my young mind;

Growing up, I learned that it was all about a substance in pineapples—bromelain.

This guy who “bited” my mouth actually appeared on the shelf of health care products one day? ! What has actually happened.

What is bromelain

Pineapple, a fruit from South America and a prized part of Hawaiian folk medicine, is one of the richest sources of bromelain in the world.

It consists of several endopeptidases and compounds such as phosphatase, glucosidase, peroxidase, cellulase, caramelase and protease inhibitors.

And our protagonist today, Bromelain, is not an enzyme extracted from the pulp of pineapple, because the content is very small, but from pineapple Stems or pits.

Pineapple is widely used in folk medicine to treat everything from indigestion to allergies. Itis rich not only in bromelain, but also in vitamin C, vitamin B1 , potassium, manganese and phytonutrients.

While pineapple has many benefits, the secret to its magical powers lies in bromelain.

Bromelain has many immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, including effects on cytokines, platelet aggregation and fibrin formation.

Why pummeling

Some of the anti-inflammatory effects of bromelain have been attributed to proteolytic, fibrinolytic, gelatinase and collagenase activities, all of which contribute to bromelain wound healing ability.

If you eat too much pineapple, bromelain can also dissolve fibrin and blood clots in tissues, irritating the lips and mouth, resulting in mouth pain and bleeding from the lips Phenomenon.

This is why, when you eat a pineapple, the pineapple “eats” you.

Bromelain is a substance that can cause allergies to the human body. If the pineapple is peeled and cut into pieces, soaked in light salt water.

Not only sweet taste, but also the bromelain in it, after being soaked in salt water, the internal allergenic structure will be destroyed, so that the treated pineapple will be No damage to lips anymore.

Mechanism of action of bromelain

Immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and analgesic

Bromelain has many immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, including effects on cytokines, platelet aggregation, and fibrin formation.

Some of the anti-inflammatory effects of bromelain have been attributed to proteolytic, fibrinolytic, gelatinase and collagenase activities, all of which contribute to the wound healing ability of bromelain /strong>.

Bromelain can accelerate the recovery of blood perfusion and partial pressure of oxygen in wound tissue; control the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α; And increased the expression of transforming growth factor β.

All of these mechanisms can also improve allergies and systemic inflammation and help reduce pain.

Animal model of allergic airway disease shows that bromelain significantly reduces bronchial leukocytes and eosinophils, and reduces bronchial Activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells.

Bromelain also reduces pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-4, -12 and -17 and interferon-gamma >,The reduction of these factors contributes to the extensive analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of bromelain.

Tissue culture studies obtained from biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis show that bromelain reduces the release of inflammatory cytokines, including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, from colonic mucosal cells , interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor.

Oral bromelain may also reduce the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and pain-related peptide substance P (SP) to further enhance anti-inflammatory and analgesic mechanisms.

Activates fibroblasts to aid healing

Another focus of bromelain research is fibroblast activation, which is involved in all soft tissue healing.

Fibroblasts are recruited at the site of damaged tissue to help cells adhere to each other, and eventually damaged cells are replaced by functional cells, the type of which depends on the type of tissue injured.

If a cell is too damaged for continued survival, apoptosis and replacement of fibroblasts occurs, migrates to the injured area, and forms from precursor cell types.

However, if fibroblasts are in excess, or are inappropriately recruited, they can lead to organ fibrosis, loss of vascular elasticity, or in the skin Excessive scarring or scarring.

These conditions also occur in excessive autoimmune responses such as arthritis and connective tissue disease, resulting in fibrosis, loss of function and pain< /strong>.

Bromelain may help control excess by promoting cell quiescence, promoting cell recovery, reducing elevated IL-6 levels, and reducing apoptosis fibrosis.

Affects white blood cell activity

Bromelain has also been found to interfere with the neutrophil binding site of P-selectin, an endogenous lectin.

thus limits neutrophil binding to substrates, reduces inflammation, and reduces diabetes and otherGlycosylation of cells in an inflammatory state.

Bromelain may affect the surface of various leukocytes, thereby affecting their activation and migration, neutrophil chemotaxis, and leukocyte adhesion to blood vessels.

These are mechanisms that contribute to anti-edema, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, and cell surface components are also affected by bromelain, such as l – Select Elements.

Reduces injuries from strenuous exercise

Moderate exercise has a positive effect on the immune system, but strenuous exercise overloads the immune system.

Marathon running, for example, causes increased inflammation and is associated with an increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URIs); may also traumatize muscles and promote blood clots previous state.

Studies in marathon runners show that bromelain exerts anti-inflammatory and fibrinolytic effects, normalizes interleukin and immunoglobulin A, and thus normalizes inflammation from strenuous exercise Normalize.

Another study suggests that bromelain reduces skeletal muscle damage caused by unaccustomed exercise.

Bromelain has also been shown to reduce fatigue, and has shown a trend to maintain serum testosterone concentrations in endurance athletes.

What are the uses of bromelain

May help prevent cancer

Studies have found that bromelain has natural anti-cancer effects, including promoting apoptotic cell death and preventing tumor growth.

Animal studies have shown that it induces the production of various cytokines, has anti-metastatic properties, and inhibits cancer cell metastasis by reducing platelet aggregation.

Helps with digestive disorders

Bromelain is an enzyme that specifically helps digest proteins and has been found to help the body absorb nutrients and even medicines more efficiently< /strong>.

Studies show that it can reduce inflammation in the colon, reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that damage the intestinal lining, and is useful in the treatment of gastrointestinal It is very effective in the organization of the tract and is therefore beneficial to people with the following gastrointestinal problems:

inflammatory bowel disease;

Ulcerative colitis;

Indigestion, or peptic ulcer caused by Helicobacter pylori infection;

Bowel cancer;

Constipation;

Crohn’s disease;

heartburn;

diarrhea;

Promotes faster postoperative or wound recovery

The anti-inflammatory properties of bromelain make it a great natural alternative to pain relievers such as aspirin.

A study evaluating the ability of bromelain to treat patients with wisdom tooth extractions found that it can promote wound healing and help reduce pain and swelling in patients after surgery

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Most patients who have wisdom teeth removed will experience significant symptoms after surgery. Unfortunately, antibiotics and pain relievers are not always effective in preventing infection or other discomfort during the healing process. .

Of the 80 people who participated in the study,those who took bromelain reported postoperative pain, swelling and even redness compared to a control group prescribed a generic pain reliever Significantly lower.

Fights Allergies and Asthma

A study investigating how bromelain affects mice with asthma found that bromelain can reduce allergic sensitization, and Blocks the development of other inflammatory responses affecting the airways.

These findings suggest that this enzyme helps regulate the entire immune system, which may help prevent allergies, and an oversensitive immune system, by addressing the underlying cause.

It was observed in the study that CD11c(+) dendritic cells, and DC44 antigen-presenting cells, were not elevated after bromelain supplementation, which is why It fights the root causes of asthma and allergies.

Helps prevent or treat sinusitis

Researchers from the University of Cologne, Germany, treated 12 patients who had undergone sinus surgery for three months and found the following bromelain benefits:

Total symptom score improved, rhinoscopy total score improved, overall quality of life improved, and no adverse reactions were reported.

Since surgery is often ineffective in treating sinusitis, this study offers a lot of hope for people with chronic sinus problems.

Helps reduce joint pain

Due to its powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, bromelain is ideal for relieving acute or chronic joint pain.

A study published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine evaluated 42 osteoarthritis patients with degenerative spine, or painful joint disease.

Giving patients 650mg bromelain capsules 2-3 times a day on an empty stomach, researchers found a 60% reduction in pain in participants with acute pain, and in those with chronic disease Among the participants, pain was reduced by more than 50%.

May help with weight loss

Its effects on weight management and fat cells are still being studied, but there is reason to believe that it may aid weight loss due to its anti-inflammatory effects, pain relief, and ability to improve digestion .

According to a 2017 article published in PLOS One, bromelain is used as a alternative anti-obesity drug.

Studies have found that bromelain helps to downregulate adipocytes, fatty acid binding proteins, fatty acid synthases, and lipoprotein lipases.

Also inhibits lipogenesis and reduces triglyceride buildup.

Key Thin Dragon Says

I didn’t expect that this little pineapple, which some people love and some people hate, still hides such a powerful ingredient.

This is only found in pineapplesThe enzymes in it can be anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic, analgesic and aid digestion. In addition to its medical value, it can also be used as a meat tenderizer in the kitchen.

However, I do not recommend supplementing bromelain by eating pineapple, because the sugar content of pineapple is still very high, and the disadvantages of consuming too much fructose need not be said more.

Besides, this enzyme is mainly found in the stem and pit of pineapple, but very little in the pulp, so it is not cost-effective to supplement by eating pineapple.

Try taking a supplement, if you want to improve digestion you should take a bromelain supplement with meals, but for other health conditions you should take it on an empty stomach.

Shoulong has not tried this supplement yet, so I will not recommend it to everyone. If you have eaten it, you can share it in the comment area.