5 Side Effects of Jujubes on Your Health

Jujuba or jujube fruit is a species of the Ziziphus genus and belongs to the buckthorn family. They are native to Southern Asia but are now grown in many regions of the world. They are known by some other names such as Korean dates, Chinese dates, red dates, and Indian dates. Jujube provides many health and beauty benefits due to the abundance of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fibers. However, there are also some side effects of eating too many jujubes.

# Too Many Antioxidants Are Bad For Health

Vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidant compounds like phytonutrients, etc in jujube protects our cells from free radical damage and reduces the risk of several cancers.Free radicals are unstabilized ions that stabilize by stealing electrons from neighboring molecules, and doing so causes oxidative damage to them.

At moderate levels, antioxidants react with free radicals, but in large doses, they may react with healthy cells and cause oxidative damage to them. Eat jujube fruit in moderation as high antioxidants may increase the risk of several cancers.

# Too Much Dietary Fiber Is Bad For Digestive Health

Dietary fibers in jujube are a natural laxative that improves bowel movement, relieves constipation, and other gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and, flatulence, etc.

However, too many dietary fibers may over-stimulate bowel movement and give rise to abdominal cramping, malabsorption, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, intestinal gas, and intestinal blockage, etc.

# May Cause Allergies

Avoid jujubes if you are allergic to them.Itchy skin, skin rashes, swollen lips and tongue, and throat irritation, etc are some common allergies caused by jujube fruit.

# Eating Jujube During Pregnancy And Nursing Stage

Jujube helps in maintaining healthy pregnancy because of its rich nutritious profile.Vitamin C and other antioxidant compounds in jujube protect the fetus from free radical damage.Folate in jujube promotes brain development in fetuses and reduces the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida.

Jujube regulates our blood sugar level and reduces the risk of gestational diabetes that some pregnant women experience between the 24th-28th week of pregnancy.However, eat jujubes during pregnancy and the nursing period only after consulting with your doctor to ensure there is no food-drug intolerance or complications ( in pregnancy) involved.

# May Cause Low Blood Sugar

With a low glycemic index of 20, jujube slows down the rate at which sugar is released into the bloodstream, and prevents a sudden spike in blood sugar levels. This helps in managing diabetes. Dietary fibers in jujube reduce sugar absorption by the bloodstream and keep blood sugar levels under control.

Despite this benefit, eat jujubes in moderation as overconsumption may drop your blood sugar below the healthy level and cause dizziness, fainting, nausea, dehydration, lack of concentration, blurred vision, and pale skin, etc.