Pork intestines are a favorite dish of many Vietnamese people - Photo: NAM TRAN
Is young tripe or old tripe more at risk?
According to Associate Professor Nguyen Anh Tuan - Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery - Central Military Hospital 108, animal intestines and organs in general provide nutrients such as protein, vitamins (B12) and minerals (iron, zinc). Nutritional value may vary depending on the type of animal entrails.
In particular, the intestines of a young pig are the intestines of the animal's head, often considered soft and have a thin structure. Young tripe is considered a popular dish and has nutritional value such as protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.
However, this part can also contain contaminants from the feed or the environment, especially when the animal is not raised and processed properly.
The large intestine is part of the animal's digestive system, whose function is to absorb excess water and nutrients. Old pig entrails may contain residues and waste, presenting greater risks of contamination or disease.
Doctor Le Van Thieu - Department of General Infections, Central Tropical Diseases Hospital - also said that the pig's small intestine contains many nutrients but cannot deny the presence of toxic substances from the environment or pig food.
Meanwhile, the pig's large intestine is where waste from the digestive process is stored. Therefore, this is a part that has a higher risk of containing dirt and toxic substances.
"No matter what type of pig intestines we eat, paying attention to food safety and hygiene is a top priority, because both young and old intestines have potential health risks," said Dr. Dr. Thieu analyzed.
Doctors recommend that to ensure safety and avoid infection, it is necessary to ensure that animals are raised and processed safely, complying with food hygiene regulations.
If not prepared or cooked properly, tripe can contain bacteria, parasites or other harmful substances, leading to digestive disorders, poisoning or dangerous diseases.
“Protein-rich foods like tripe are an ideal environment for poisoning bacteria to grow. Therefore, even if cooked, left out in the environment for a long time is still susceptible to bacterial infection," Dr. Thieu said.
Eating a lot of organs can easily cause harm
Doctor Anh Tuan said that animal intestines often have high fat content and contain cholesterol, so consuming too much will cause hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
In addition, Dr. Thieu also recommends that some people should limit or not eat animal intestines, such as people with gout, because increased uric acid in the blood due to pig intestines can cause pain and swelling in the joints.
People with cardiovascular problems or high blood fat, because high cholesterol in pig intestines can cause increased blood fat.
People with poor digestive systems, because the fat in pig intestines is difficult to digest, is not suitable for people with digestive problems.
Obese or overweight people should also limit it because the high amount of calories in pig intestines will increase overweight and obesity.
Or people with hepatitis also need to limit eating animal entrails. Consuming pig intestines can overload the liver, especially in cases where the liver is not functioning well.
In addition, pregnant women should also avoid eating dishes from pig intestines to prevent the risk of infection and viruses and parasites (worms, tapeworms) that can affect the fetus.
