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TURTLE MEAT CAN CAUSE FATAL CHRONIC DISEASES
Thursday, 03/09/2020
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Both turtle eggs and turtle meat are highly sought by exotic food lovers locally and overseas. Such high demand for turtle meat has caused the threatened species in the country to become smaller in number after many have been caught and sold. If this is not prevented, the turtles may no longer exist for the next generations to see up-close.
UMT researcher Dr Muhammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin said that the practice of eating turtle meat needs to be stopped.
He said that turtle tissues contain high amount of heavy metal that exceeds the international food safety standard and if consumed can lead to kidney diseases and liver cancer and affect the development of fetus and children.
In addition, turtle meat contains bacteria, parasites, and biotoxins that resulted from environmental pollution, he said.
According to Dr Muhammad Hafiz, there have been parasitology reports that documented the presence of trematoda worms and their eggs in turtles. The adult parasites were found in the hearts, while the eggs were noticed in various organs including brains, hearts, livers, lungs, spleens, kidneys, skins, stomach, and intestines.
In several studies, the worm eggs were found in the faeces of the Australian aborigine children. “This shows that eating turtle meat carries high risk. The worms from the meat can survive and breed in human bodies,” Dr Muhammad Hafiz said.
He added that the health effects of eating sea turtles and the eggs infected with zoonotic pathogen include diarrhoea, vomiting, and extreme dehydration that can be fatal.
“It is evident that turtle meat consumption causes negative effects towards human health, more so for women and children. Therefore, this activity needs to be stopped, and the public needs to be educated on this,” he said.
In addition, the forbidding of eating turtle meat for Muslims has been gazetted by the Office of the Mufti, Federal Territory (AL-KAFI 853: RULING ON EATING SEAFOOD AND TURTLES) as the species are amphibians similar to frogs and crocodiles.
For further information:
Dr. Muhammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin
Marine Biology Lecturer
Faculty of Science and Marine Environment
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Tel : 011-23124561
Published by:
Corporate Communication Office
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
TURTLE MEAT CAN CAUSE FATAL CHRONIC DISEASES
Both turtle eggs and turtle meat are highly sought by exotic food lovers locally and overseas. Such high demand for turtle meat has caused the threatened species in the country to become smaller in number after many have been caught and sold. If this is not prevented, the turtles may no longer exist for the next generations to see up-close.
UMT researcher Dr Muhammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin said that the practice of eating turtle meat needs to be stopped.
He said that turtle tissues contain high amount of heavy metal that exceeds the international food safety standard and if consumed can lead to kidney diseases and liver cancer and affect the development of fetus and children.
In addition, turtle meat contains bacteria, parasites, and biotoxins that resulted from environmental pollution, he said.
According to Dr Muhammad Hafiz, there have been parasitology reports that documented the presence of trematoda worms and their eggs in turtles. The adult parasites were found in the hearts, while the eggs were noticed in various organs including brains, hearts, livers, lungs, spleens, kidneys, skins, stomach, and intestines.
In several studies, the worm eggs were found in the faeces of the Australian aborigine children. “This shows that eating turtle meat carries high risk. The worms from the meat can survive and breed in human bodies,” Dr Muhammad Hafiz said.
He added that the health effects of eating sea turtles and the eggs infected with zoonotic pathogen include diarrhoea, vomiting, and extreme dehydration that can be fatal.
“It is evident that turtle meat consumption causes negative effects towards human health, more so for women and children. Therefore, this activity needs to be stopped, and the public needs to be educated on this,” he said.
In addition, the forbidding of eating turtle meat for Muslims has been gazetted by the Office of the Mufti, Federal Territory (AL-KAFI 853: RULING ON EATING SEAFOOD AND TURTLES) as the species are amphibians similar to frogs and crocodiles.
For further information:
Dr. Muhammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin
Marine Biology Lecturer
Faculty of Science and Marine Environment
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Tel : 011-23124561
Published by:
Corporate Communication Office
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
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