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Updated
Reading 2 min.
in collaboration with
Arnaud Cocaul (Nutritionist)
Medical validation:
May 14, 2024
In spring, do you enjoy tasting fruit salads and other fruity desserts? Warning: a fruit from the Cucurbitaceae family can cause serious heart problems. Explanations.
In salad, in sorbet or even grilled on the barbecue… Many of us love this fruit. However, it is not harmless. In people with chronic kidney disease, it can cause hyperkalemia – a hydroelectrolyte disorder defined by excess potassium in the blood.
An abnormal potassium level
The fruit that poses a problem, according to a study published in the ACP newspaper ? The watermelon. Indeed, watermelon is very rich in potassium.
“2 wedges (1/8th of a watermelon) contain 16.4 mmol (640 mg) of potassium“, underlines the study.
However, 3 patients who consumed watermelon in excess presented a “severe hyperkalemia“, reveal the researchers.
Of the 3 patients, 2 were admitted to the medical intensive care unit. The last was admitted to an outpatient dialysis clinic in Worcester, Massachusetts.
All had consumed large quantities of watermelon daily – in the form of wedges or juice – and all had excessively high potassium levels – between 6.6 and 7.4 millimoles per liter of potassium in the blood.
These individuals also suffered from various health problems: end-stage renal failure, history of ischemic cardiomyopathy or even insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus.
But for Dr Arnaud Cocaul, neither watermelon nor the potassium it contains are really responsible for these cases of hyperkalemia.
“This high potassium content is valid for many fruits and vegetables. If you eat a lot of broccoli, your potassium levels will also increase! It’s all about quantity – and repetition. If you eat a watermelon one day, and avoid this fruit the next, the level will naturally regulate itself. The problem is excessive and repeated consumption of a food. So I think these 3 people had latent eating disorders.”
Severe hyperkalemia: what are the consequences?
When severe, hyperkalemia can cause heart rhythm disturbances. If the level is very high, cardiac arrest may occur.
Among the three patients examined, two developed serious heart problems attributed to excess potassium, leading to dangerous slowing of the heart.
As for the risk of death, it is real:
“The estimated mortality rate for patients with untreated severe hyperkalemia is greater than 30%“, warn the researchers in conclusion.
Slide: The 9 unsuspected benefits of watermelon