US Pensioner Nearly Dies After Eating Excessive Amounts of Beetroot
An 82-year-old man in the United States was in critical condition after eating three kilograms of beetroot a week. Doctors diagnosed methemoglobinemia, a rare blood disorder linked to high nitrate intake.
A case published in The Journal of Emergency Medicine describes an 82-year-old retiree in the United States who nearly died after consuming excessive amounts of beetroot. The British newspaper The Sun also reported on it and called it the first known case of its kind worldwide.
How the man ended up in hospital
According to the reports, the man ate about three kilograms of beetroot per week and also drank the water in which it was cooked. He said he was trying to stay fit and healthy. During dinner he suddenly felt dizzy and then lost consciousness.
Paramedics found that his blood pressure was dangerously low and his skin had a slate-grey colour. In the emergency department he was given oxygen, but his blood oxygen level did not rise. It dropped to 88 percent, compared with the normal range of 96 to 100 percent.
Diagnosis and treatment
Doctors determined that the patient had methemoglobinemia, a very rare blood disorder that can be caused by too much nitrate. The man was taking heart medication containing this chemical, and beetroot is also rich in nitrate. Physicians suspect that the large quantities he ate, combined with his medication, led to the condition. Until now, cases linked to nitrate-rich food have mainly been known in infants rather than adults.
An antidote exists and it helped the patient: his oxygen level rose again and his normal skin colour returned.
What food safety experts say
In normal amounts, beetroot is safe and healthy. In a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the benefits of a vegetable-rich diet generally outweigh possible risks from naturally occurring nitrate.
