Introduction
Did you know that bitter cola or garcinia cola, despite having several health benefits, also have side effects? Oh yes, it does have. That is why in this post, we'll be sharing with you 12 side effects of bitter Kola you may not know.
In our previous post, we talked about Natural Health Benefits of Bita Kola Nut (Garcinia Kola)
While these nuts are health rich, it is important to know that bitter kola contains a large amount of caffeine.
That is why eating too much of this nut can be quite unhealthy and can do more harm to your body than good. Here is why.
1. Bitter Kola can worsen diarrheal condition
Diarrhea is the frequent discharge of feces from the bowel that is in liquid form. If you suffer from this, then consuming an excessive amount of this plant can worsen your condition.
2. Bitter Kola can cause mouth cancer
According to researchers, consuming too much of bitter kola can lead to mouth cancer. However, if consumed more readily, you can avoid this health problem associated with bitter kola. On the bright side, it will provide you with health benefits.
3. Bitter Kola can cause gastrointestinal cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer is a type of cancer that affects both the stomach and the intestines. Sad to say that bitter kola can become a chief agent to the causation of this condition.
As mentioned previously, moderate consumption is completely safe. Stick around because towards the end of this post, I will also be telling you the amount to consume daily to avoid these side effects.
4. Bitter Kola is not beneficial for sufferers of diabetes
At this point, I know I mentioned in the other post about the benefits of bitter Kola. That bitter Kola can help balance blood sugar levels, which in essence is helpful to diabetes patients.
This is because consuming bitter Kola seed significantly mitigates hyperglycemia-mediated damage by decreasing the blood glucose level, enhancing the antioxidant system, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and improving complications of diabetes mellitus.
It is also important to note that this can be helpful in the early stage of diabetes. Why it is not beneficial to sufferers of diabetes is based on two reasons.
First, bitter Kola contains caffeine, which can lead to incorrect sugar level in your body.
Secondly, it can be very fertile in a severe state of diabetes. The key point is, always seek the services of health experts if you suffer from diabetes to know if it is safe for you or not.
To know the benefits of bitter Kola, check in the link below below: https://www.lafiyata.com.ng/2024/04/natural-health-benefits-of-bitter-kola.html
5. Bitter Kola can lead to glaucoma
It's granted that bitter Kola can help fight glaucoma, it can also lead to disinfection. How? Consuming an excessive amount of it can be very fertile, which can in essence translate to loss of vision.
But if you eat a small amount of this nut, it can prevent glaucoma.
6. Bitter Kola slows blood clotting
Again, consuming an excessive amount of bitter Kola can lead to problems with blood clotting.
For example, if a person is bleeding and eats bitter Kola, it can in essence worsen the condition of that person.
Tip! Avoid eating bitter cola after surgeries. Are you enjoying the post? If so, follow Lafiyata or join our WhatsApp group for more.
7. Bitter Kola can cause or increase anxiety
If you are having problems with stress and anxiety, then you should avoid bitter Kolas because this nut contains chemical compounds that can worsen your anxiety problems.
8. Bitter Kola can worsen heart conditions and GERD
The caffeine in bitter Kola might cause irregular heartbeat in most persons. And so, if you already have any heart conditions such as heart failure or hypersensitive heart disease, it is advisable to avoid bitter kola as it can worsen your heartache or heartburn.
9. Bitter cola affects pregnancy negatively
Because of the high amount of caffeine, pregnant women are advised not to consume bitter cola. And here is why. The caffeine in bitter cola when consumed by pregnant women can affect the baby's weight, movements, sleeping pattern and metabolism.
Aside from that, it can as well increase the blood pressure and heart rate of pregnant women which is not a good thing for someone pregnant.
Also, during the early stages of pregnancy, the baby is still immature and as a result is unable to adapt to the caffeine present in bitter Kola. Because of this, there can be a miscarriage of the unborn baby.
10. Bitter Kola can result in increase in blood pressure
An excessive intake of bitter cola can cause high blood pressure because of the caffeine it contains.
And if you already have high blood pressure, bitter kola can increase or worsen your condition. Avoid bitter cola if you suffer from this ailment.
11. Bitter Kola can causes insomnia.
Insomnia is the inability to sleep. Bitter cola can cause restlessness and nervousness which in turn prevent you from sleeping.
And it's all because of the caffeine in it. It is also good to know that bitter kola can cause stomach irritation for those allergic to it. It can also cause ulcer and worsen GERD as we explained earlier.
12. Intake of bitter kola makes medication ineffective.
If you are a patient on medication and choose bitter kola, it will make the drugs ineffective. This is again because of the caffeine it contains which can interact with medications.
Always seek the advice of a medical expert when under medication to ascertain if it will interact with your medications or not.
Apart from these side effects just mentioned, others include headache, nausea, heartburn, reflux and hives.
How many bitter cola should you consume per day?
According to experts, not more than 2 per day should be consumed at the minimum.
Bottom line is, keep a moderate rate in consuming bitter kola to avoid some health problems. It's now your turn.
What other side effects of bitter kola can you remember? Or which of the side effects we mentioned can you relate to? Tell us in the comment section.
Conclusion
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