Effects of Eating Pork - Essay Example

"Effects of Eating Pork" is an engrossing example of a paper on food and nutrition. Pork is one of the sources of animal protein that is consumed in many countries worldwide. However, some people do not eat it because of religious or cultural issues. For instance, Muslims do not eat it because it is prohibited by the Quran. Since the consumption of pork has some health risks, it is not appropriate to eat it.

Eating pork is inappropriate because it causes trichinellosis, a foodborne disease triggered by roundworms of the genus Trichinella. An individual can acquire the disease by consuming raw or undercooked pork. After infection, the disease occurs in two phases: intestinal and muscular stages. The intestinal phase begins with the ingestion of Trichinella larvae. The larvae are then released into the internal mucosa before migrating to the blood vessels. After that, they spread throughout the body, eventually finding their way to the skeletal muscles. In this phase, the clinical manifestations of the disease depend on the number of ingested larvae. For instance, if an individual ingests less than 70 larvae, there may be no symptoms. However, if the number of ingested larvae exceeds 70, gastroenteritis accompanied by diarrhea and abdominal pain will occur after two days. In the muscular stage, symptoms such as fever, eosinophilia, myalgia, periorbital edema, and increased muscle enzymes occur. Death in this stage of infection is mostly ascribed to pneumonitis, meningoencephalitis, or myocarditis (Wilson, Hall, Montgomery, and Jones 2).

Eating pork is also inappropriate because it contains antibacterial agents and growth promotion substances. Antibacterial agents are used to preventing diseases while growth promotion substances are used to increase weight and feed efficiency in pigs. Since most of these substances persist in the muscles of the slaughtered animal, they have serious health implications in humans. For instance, antibacterial agents such as antibiotics can cause resistance pathogenic for human beings. If this happens, it can cause serious problems in therapy especially when drug-resistant organisms cause infections. On the other hand, growth-promoting substances such as zeranol and synthetic stilbenes contain dienestrol, hexestrol, and diethylstilbestrol, substances that persist in food. Although the use of synthetic stilbenes is prohibited in most countries, illegal use occurs. Thus, it is possible to purchase and consume contaminated pork or its products from a retail outlet. Therefore, it is not appropriate to consume pork (Abdussalam).

Lastly, eating pork is not suitable for an individual’s health because it can cause cardiovascular diseases and cancer of the colon. Although pork does not have a higher quantity of cholesterol and saturated fats compared to other animal sources of protein, it can still trigger certain non-communicable diseases. For instance, when it is consumed in large quantities, especially one kilogram a week, it can cause hyperlipidemia, a risk factor in cardiovascular diseases. The consumption of pork with a low-fiber diet also increases an individual’s chance of developing colon cancer (Abdussalam).

In summary, there are three health concerns that make the eating of pork inappropriate. First, pork is unsuitable because it causes Trichinellosis, a foodborne disease that finds its way into the human body when raw or undercooked pork is ingested. Second, pork is unsuitable for consumption because it contains additives, which persist in the muscles of the slaughtered animal. Some of these substances can cause serious problems in therapy. Lastly, pork is inappropriate because it can increase an individual’s chances of contracting cardiovascular diseases and colon cancer.