Dangers of Brazil Nuts
Known for their rich taste, Brazil nuts have become a popular snack around the world, ranking as a guilty pleasure for many nut lovers. However, Brazil nuts may possess some hidden dangers, and the problems go well beyond questionable nutritional value.
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Identification
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Native to South America, Brazil nut trees belong to the family Lecythidaceae and are predominantly grown in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Venezuela. On average, the trees reach between 100 and 150 feet tall and have trunk diameters between three and six feet. The tree's fruit grows in bunches, with each fruit being a hard, woody pod no larger than a grapefruit. These seeds are commonly known as Brazil nuts.
Features
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When the fruit's shell is opened, inside are eight to 12 wedge-shaped seeds or nuts. The Brazil nut's outer shell is hard, brown, and shaped like a toe. Each shell contains one white, fleshy nut.
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Benefits
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Aside from being high in protein, calcium, magnesium, thiamine and zinc, Brazil nuts are perhaps the best natural source for selenium, containing more than 1,000 percent of the U.S. recommended dietary allowances. Selenium has been shown to fight cancer, heart disease and even aging.
Warning
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The Brazil nut does present potential dangers. Nutritionally, the Brazil nut is 18 percent protein, 13 percent carbohydrates, and 69 percent fat, with 25 percent of that fat being saturated. That surpasses even the macadamia nut in terms of saturated fat content.
Brazil nut shells contain high amounts of aflatoxins, a naturally occurring toxic substance that can cause liver cancer.
Even the Brazil nut's high selenium content can be too much of a good thing, leading to possible toxicity. Too much selenium can cause fingernails and hair to turn brittle and fall out.
There's also the danger of allergic reactions. Tree nut allergies tend to be the most serious of all nut allergies, leading to possible life-threatening consequences.
But perhaps radiation is the most bizarre risk associated with Brazil nuts. The trees are so large, their extensive root systems bore deep into the ground and soak up unusual amounts of radium from the soil. This radium gets transferred into the nuts, making them radioactive. It's believed Brazil nuts have 1,000 times more radium than the next most radioactive food. While extensive studies have yet to be conducted, the amount of radiation in a Brazil nut is still small when compared to radiation encountered in everyday life, and it's not believed to pose any serious health risk, regardless of the quantities ingested.
Misconceptions
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The Brazil nut's name is hardly accurate. The leading exporter of Brazil nuts is actually Bolivia, not Brazil. And the Brazil nut is not a nut at all but a seed.
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