Food · Fruit · 热带
Lychee
高糖高维 C 的夏果 · 未熟果含 hypoglycin A 抑制糖异生 · 空腹+儿童+大量 = 荔枝病 · 上火是民俗不是机制
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Story path
- 1What lychee is · you eat the arilWhat lychee is · you eat the aril
- 2Macros · sugar and vitamin C, that's mostly itMacros · sugar and vitamin C, that's mostly it
- 3Fat · nearly none, and that is the pointFat · nearly none, and that is the point
- 4Rich in what · vitamin C, a little potassium and copperRich in what · vitamin C, a little potassium and copper
- 5What it lacks · how to pairWhat it lacks · how to pair
- 6Key knowledge · lychee encephalopathy: a real metabolic mechanismKey knowledge · lychee encephalopathy: a real metabolic mechanism
- 7How to choose · eat · how muchHow to choose · eat · how much
- 8Debunking · 'three fires' and 'lychee is toxic'Debunking · 'three fires' and 'lychee is toxic'
Chapter 1
What lychee is · you eat the aril
What lychee is · you eat the aril
Lychee is an evergreen tree native to southern China, a close relative of longan, both in the soapberry family. China is the world's largest producer and consumer; Feizixiao, Guiwei and Nuomici are famous cultivars.
A botanical fact often missed: the white flesh we eat is not the peel but the aril — a fleshy outgrowth enveloping the seed. The seed (pit) is large, and the aril is the truly nutritious part.
Ripe lychees are intensely sweet and aromatic, but unripe lychees are a different thing: the key mechanism of this whole story (lychee encephalopathy) hides in unripe fruit, covered in special-knowledge.
It is a classic tropical fruit: watery, sugary, high in vitamin C, nearly fat-free. Later scenes quantify per 100 g edible portion.
A botanical fact often missed: the white flesh we eat is not the peel but the aril — a fleshy outgrowth enveloping the seed. The seed (pit) is large, and the aril is the truly nutritious part.
Ripe lychees are intensely sweet and aromatic, but unripe lychees are a different thing: the key mechanism of this whole story (lychee encephalopathy) hides in unripe fruit, covered in special-knowledge.
It is a classic tropical fruit: watery, sugary, high in vitamin C, nearly fat-free. Later scenes quantify per 100 g edible portion.
植物 · 它从哪来, 你吃的到底是哪一部分
把上面那个假种皮展开说, 顺便交代一下这棵树.荔枝是原产中国华南的常绿果树, 和龙眼是近亲, 都属于无患子科. 中国是世界最大产区和消费市场, 妃子笑、桂味、糯米糍是几个著名品种 — 品种主要影响甜度、香气和核的大小, 不改变后面几幕的营养结构.
一个常被忽略的植物学事实: 我们吃的白色果肉并不是果皮, 而是假种皮 (aril) — 种子外面长出来的一层肉质包被. 荔枝的种子 (核) 很大, 假种皮是它身上真正有营养的部分. 换个角度看, 这棵树把糖和水堆在种子外面这一圈肉里, 是为了让动物连肉带核一起带走 — 你尝到的那口甜, 本来是给种子搬运工的报酬.
还有一点第一幕已经点过, 这里再强调一次: 荔枝成熟后含糖很高、香气浓烈, 但未成熟的荔枝是另一回事. 它不是没那么甜而已, 而是化学成分不同 — 这正是重点知识那一幕的入口.
Chapter 2
Macros · sugar and vitamin C, that's mostly it
Macros · sugar and vitamin C, that's mostly it
Fresh lychee runs roughly 66 kcal per 100 g, 16-17 g carbohydrate, of which most is sugar (roughly half fructose, half glucose), only ~0.8 g protein, 0.4 g fat, ~1.3 g fiber.
So the nutritional structure of lychee is one sentence: sugar + vitamin C + water, plus a little potassium and copper. No meaningful protein or fat; all calories come from sugar.
What that means for blood glucose: the glycemic index (GI) is moderate-high (roughly 50-79 across cultivars), but a typical serving of 5-10 fruits (~80-150 g) is not huge, so glycemic load (GL) stays modest. Dive to glycemic-index-load for the GI/GL distinction.
Note that dried lychee concentrates sugar 4-5x: per 100 g, calories and sugar far exceed fresh fruit. Count portions by dry weight when snacking.
So the nutritional structure of lychee is one sentence: sugar + vitamin C + water, plus a little potassium and copper. No meaningful protein or fat; all calories come from sugar.
What that means for blood glucose: the glycemic index (GI) is moderate-high (roughly 50-79 across cultivars), but a typical serving of 5-10 fruits (~80-150 g) is not huge, so glycemic load (GL) stays modest. Dive to glycemic-index-load for the GI/GL distinction.
Note that dried lychee concentrates sugar 4-5x: per 100 g, calories and sugar far exceed fresh fruit. Count portions by dry weight when snacking.
数字 · 每 100 g 可食部分里到底有什么
新鲜荔枝每 100 g 大约 66 kcal, 碳水 16-17 g, 其中绝大部分是糖 (果糖和葡萄糖大致各半), 蛋白只有约 0.8 g, 脂肪 0.4 g, 纤维约 1.3 g.这对血糖意味着什么: 荔枝的升糖指数 (GI) 中等偏上 (不同品种约 50-79), 但因为一次通常只吃 5-10 颗 (约 80-150 g), 糖总量并不夸张, 血糖负荷 (GL) 其实不高. 想弄懂 GI 和 GL 的区别, 可以 dive 到营养世界的 glycemic-index-load.
顺带一提: 荔枝干的糖浓缩约 4-5 倍, 每 100 g 干荔枝热量和糖都远超鲜果, 当零食要按干重算份量.
Chapter 3
Fat · nearly none, and that is the point
Fat · nearly none, and that is the point
Lychee has only ~0.4 g fat per 100 g — among the lowest of common fruits. It is no fat source at all, with no fatty-acid structure worth discussing.
The point of this scene is the pairing reminder: because lychee has no protein, no fat, only sugar, a large bowl alone spikes blood glucose fast and does not satiate. Pairing it with protein and fat (nuts, yogurt, eggs) flattens the meal's glucose curve.
By contrast, avocado is the fat-type fruit (~15 g fat per 100 g); lychee is the pure-sugar-type fruit — the two extremes. For systematic fats, dive to fats-omega-3 and avocado.
In one line: lychee's fatlessness is neither a flaw nor a selling point — it is a reminder that lychee is part of a meal, not a meal.
The point of this scene is the pairing reminder: because lychee has no protein, no fat, only sugar, a large bowl alone spikes blood glucose fast and does not satiate. Pairing it with protein and fat (nuts, yogurt, eggs) flattens the meal's glucose curve.
By contrast, avocado is the fat-type fruit (~15 g fat per 100 g); lychee is the pure-sugar-type fruit — the two extremes. For systematic fats, dive to fats-omega-3 and avocado.
In one line: lychee's fatlessness is neither a flaw nor a selling point — it is a reminder that lychee is part of a meal, not a meal.
数字 · 低到什么程度, 以及另一个极端
荔枝每 100 g 脂肪只有约 0.4 g, 在常见水果里也属于极低的一档, 也不含值得讨论的脂肪酸结构.拿另一个极端对照就清楚了: 牛油果是脂肪型水果 (每 100 g 约 15 g 脂肪), 荔枝是纯糖型水果. 两样都叫水果, 在身体里走的却是两条不同的路 — 一条慢、顶饱、送来的是脂肪酸; 一条快、不顶饱、送来的是葡萄糖和果糖. 所以多吃水果这句话本身不构成建议, 得先问是哪一类.
一句话: 荔枝的脂肪不是缺憾也不是卖点, 只是提醒你, 它不能当一餐, 只能当一餐的一部分.
Chapter 4
Rich in what · vitamin C, a little potassium and copper
Rich in what · vitamin C, a little potassium and copper
Lychee's micronutrient highlight is vitamin C: ~71.5 mg per 100 g, comparable to or slightly above orange (~53 mg), first tier among common fruits. Vitamin C builds collagen, helps non-heme iron absorption, and acts as an antioxidant — dive to vitamin-c for the mechanism.
Other components:
Potassium (potassium-sodium): ~170 mg per 100 g, moderateCopper: small, but decent relative to most fruitPolyphenols: some anthocyanins and flavonoids in the aril, below berry levels
To be honest: lychee antioxidant marketing (e.g. 'polyphenols slow aging') rests mostly on test-tube data — the same genre as the blueberry 'superfood' pitch, and the same takedown applies: in vitro strength is not in-body benefit. blueberry already makes that argument; it is not repeated here.
Real value ranking: vitamin C is solid, potassium and copper are supporting cast, polyphenols are nice-to-have.
Other components:
Potassium (potassium-sodium): ~170 mg per 100 g, moderateCopper: small, but decent relative to most fruitPolyphenols: some anthocyanins and flavonoids in the aril, below berry levels
To be honest: lychee antioxidant marketing (e.g. 'polyphenols slow aging') rests mostly on test-tube data — the same genre as the blueberry 'superfood' pitch, and the same takedown applies: in vitro strength is not in-body benefit. blueberry already makes that argument; it is not repeated here.
Real value ranking: vitamin C is solid, potassium and copper are supporting cast, polyphenols are nice-to-have.
数字 · 维生素 C 和其它几样各有多少
荔枝的微量营养亮点主要是维生素 C: 每 100 g 约 71.5 mg, 和橙子 (约 53 mg) 相当甚至略高, 是常见水果里的第一梯队.其它成分:
钾 (potassium-sodium): 每 100 g 约 170 mg, 中等水平铜 (copper): 少量, 但相对水果而言不算低多酚类: 荔枝果肉含一些花青素和黄酮, 但含量低于蓝莓这类浆果
要诚实的是: 荔枝的抗氧化宣传 (比如荔枝多酚延缓衰老) 大多来自试管实验, 和蓝莓超级食物是同一类话术, 拆法也一样 — 体外强不等于体内有效, 这层拆穿在 blueberry 里已经讲过, 这里不重复.
为什么试管强不等于身体里有用, 值得记住这条通用拆法: 试管里的细胞被直接泡在高浓度的提取物里, 而你吃下去的多酚要先过胃酸、被肠壁挑着吸收、再被肝脏改造一遍, 最后能到达组织的浓度往往低到差着数量级. 一个成分能抗氧化说的是化学性质, 对人有用说的是这一整条路走完之后还剩什么 — 两句话之间隔着的正是这条路.
它的真实价值排序: 维 C 是明确的, 钾铜是陪跑, 多酚看看就好.
Chapter 5
What it lacks · how to pair
What it lacks · how to pair
What lychee lacks is as obvious as what it has: no protein, no fat, only ~1.3 g fiber per 100 g. It is a lopsided student among fruits.
Practical pairings:
Nuts or yogurt: protein and fat to steady the glucose curveWhole grains: treat lychee as dessert, fiber as the baseAfter a meal rather than alone on an empty stomach (this also connects to the lychee-encephalopathy scene)
Vitamin C bonus: lychee's vitamin C helps absorb non-heme iron from the same meal — pair with legumes or leafy greens.
About the seed: lychee pits are not edible; the hard layer inside the flesh should not be swallowed; remove the pit for children to prevent choking.
For whole-plate balance, dive to carbs-fiber and fruit-vegetables.
Practical pairings:
Nuts or yogurt: protein and fat to steady the glucose curveWhole grains: treat lychee as dessert, fiber as the baseAfter a meal rather than alone on an empty stomach (this also connects to the lychee-encephalopathy scene)
Vitamin C bonus: lychee's vitamin C helps absorb non-heme iron from the same meal — pair with legumes or leafy greens.
About the seed: lychee pits are not edible; the hard layer inside the flesh should not be swallowed; remove the pit for children to prevent choking.
For whole-plate balance, dive to carbs-fiber and fruit-vegetables.
机制 · 偏科到什么程度, 以及三条搭配的共同逻辑
把偏科换成数字: 荔枝每 100 g 只有约 1.3 g 纤维, 蛋白和脂肪几乎为零.纤维少意味着什么, 值得说清. 纤维是碳水里身体自己拆不开的那一部分, 它在肠道里吸水变稠, 相当于给这一餐加了一层网 — 糖分子得先穿过这层网才轮得到被肠壁吸走, 于是同样多的糖, 进血的速度被拖慢. 荔枝没有这层网, 它的糖来得很直接.
上面那三条搭配其实是同一个逻辑的三种写法:
坚果和酸奶补的是脂肪和蛋白 — 它们让胃排空变慢, 糖跟着慢下来全谷补的是纤维 — 把那层网从别处借来饭后再吃, 补的是别的东西先到胃里 — 位置被占了, 糖只能排队
三条路不同, 目的是同一个: 别让一堆糖单独、快速地进血. 明白了这一层, 你不用背搭配表也能自己配 — 只要问一句这一口糖前面有没有东西挡着.
想把整盘的碳水和纤维搞清楚, dive 到 carbs-fiber 和 fruit-vegetables.
Chapter 6
Key knowledge · lychee encephalopathy: a real metabolic mechanism
Key knowledge · lychee encephalopathy: a real metabolic mechanism
This is the scene worth getting right: lychee encephalopathy (acute encephalopathy, mainly in children) is not folklore — it is a well-characterized metabolic mechanism.
Unripe lychees contain two toxins: hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG). Both inhibit fatty-acid beta-oxidation and impair gluconeogenesis — the body can neither draw energy from fat nor make glucose from non-carbohydrate sources well, so blood glucose crashes, the brain runs out of fuel, and seizures or coma can follow; severe cases can be fatal.
Why children, why on an empty stomach:
Children have small glycogen reserves and are exhausted fasterOn an empty stomach (especially after skipping dinner) the body already depends on gluconeogenesis to hold blood glucose — peak toxicityLarge amounts plus unripe fruit deliver enough toxin
This is the mechanism established during the 2013-2014 Muzaffarpur, Bihar outbreak (the Shrivastava field investigation in MMWR and the 2017 Lancet Global Health case-control study): children ate large amounts of lychees on empty stomachs in the evening and fell ill overnight. Ripe fruit + a normal meal + moderate amounts are the key boundary.
The key takeaway: ripe lychees + a normal meal + moderation carry no such risk for healthy people — toxin falls sharply in ripe fruit and post-meal glucose supply is ample. Danger needs all four: empty stomach, large amount, unripe fruit, and a child.
This scene is education, not medical care: if a child develops dizziness, cold sweat, or seizures after large amounts of lychee on an empty stomach, seek emergency care immediately.
Unripe lychees contain two toxins: hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG). Both inhibit fatty-acid beta-oxidation and impair gluconeogenesis — the body can neither draw energy from fat nor make glucose from non-carbohydrate sources well, so blood glucose crashes, the brain runs out of fuel, and seizures or coma can follow; severe cases can be fatal.
Why children, why on an empty stomach:
Children have small glycogen reserves and are exhausted fasterOn an empty stomach (especially after skipping dinner) the body already depends on gluconeogenesis to hold blood glucose — peak toxicityLarge amounts plus unripe fruit deliver enough toxin
This is the mechanism established during the 2013-2014 Muzaffarpur, Bihar outbreak (the Shrivastava field investigation in MMWR and the 2017 Lancet Global Health case-control study): children ate large amounts of lychees on empty stomachs in the evening and fell ill overnight. Ripe fruit + a normal meal + moderate amounts are the key boundary.
The key takeaway: ripe lychees + a normal meal + moderation carry no such risk for healthy people — toxin falls sharply in ripe fruit and post-meal glucose supply is ample. Danger needs all four: empty stomach, large amount, unripe fruit, and a child.
This scene is education, not medical care: if a child develops dizziness, cold sweat, or seizures after large amounts of lychee on an empty stomach, seek emergency care immediately.
机制 · 两条后备产线是怎么被同时掐断的
把这条链拆到部位上, 你就能自己推演别的情况.血糖有三个来源: 刚吃进去的饭、肝里存着的糖原、以及糖异生 — 在肝脏里用乳酸、氨基酸、甘油这类非糖原料现造葡萄糖. 吃饱时靠第一条; 空腹几小时后靠第二条; 到了后半夜糖原见底, 全靠第三条撑着.
同一时间还有一条并行的省电措施: 身体改烧脂肪. 脂肪酸被送进线粒体, 一段一段剪短放能, 这个过程叫β-氧化. 它有两个作用 — 供能, 同时把省下来的葡萄糖让给大脑 (大脑几乎只吃糖). 更关键的是, β-氧化还给糖异生提供动力, 两条线其实是搭在一起的.
未熟荔枝里的次甘氨酸 A 和 MCPG 干的事, 正是卡住 β-氧化, 并连带卡住糖异生. 于是三件事撞在同一个夜里:
脂肪烧不动 → 那份能取不到, 身体只能继续消耗葡萄糖糖异生停摆 → 消耗掉的葡萄糖补不回来糖原本来就空 → 没有缓冲
血糖只能一路往下掉. 大脑是最先受不了的器官 — 它几乎只烧葡萄糖, 自己又不存货 — 所以外在表现是抽搐和意识障碍, 而不是肚子疼. 这也是为什么这件事被叫做脑病, 而不是食物中毒.
为什么受害的主要是儿童, 到这里也就清楚了: 孩子肝小、糖原储备少, 缓冲本来就薄; 而傍晚在果园里吃了一肚子荔枝、又没吃晚饭, 恰好把糖原耗尽和两条后备线被掐放在了同一个夜里.
现场 · 这条机制当年是怎么被查出来的
这是 2013-2014 年印度比哈尔邦 Muzaffarpur 暴发时查清的机制 (Shrivastava 等的 MMWR 现场调查, 与 2017 年 Lancet Global Health 的病例对照研究): 孩子傍晚空腹大量吃荔枝, 夜间发病.值得学的不只是结论, 还有查法. 调查做的是最朴素的一件事: 把发病的孩子和同村没发病的孩子放在一起比, 看两组做过的事哪里不一样. 差别没有落在吃没吃荔枝上 (两组都吃), 而是落在当天有没有吃晚饭和吃了多少、吃的熟不熟上.
这一条差异把方向从荔枝有毒扭到了未熟 + 空腹 + 大量 + 儿童, 也正是这一幕那四个条件的来源. 值得记住的一般方法是: 当一个食物被指认为有毒, 先去看吃了它却没事的那群人和出事的那群人差在哪 — 差别几乎总是在条件里, 不在食物本身.
成熟果 + 正常进餐 + 适量是关键分界: 毒素在成熟果里大幅降低, 且饭后血糖供应充足. 这三个词是那场调查最后留下的东西, 比记住毒素的名字更有用.
Chapter 7
How to choose · eat · how much
How to choose · eat · how much
Bringing the earlier scenes to buying and eating.
Choosing: ripe lychees have red, plump shells that yield slightly to pressure and smell fragrant; avoid green, sour, or wine-smelling fruit (the wine smell means fermentation has started). Color is not absolute across cultivars, but a green shell usually means unripe.
How to eat:
Eat ripe fruit: the only antidote to the encephalopathy scene — never give unripe lychee to childrenNo binge on an empty stomach: eat after a meal, especially for childrenModeration: 100-200 g (~5-10 fruits) per sitting for healthy adults; do not eat by the jinRemove the pit to prevent choking in children
Dried lychee concentrates sugar 4-5x — a high-free-sugar snack that counts toward the free-sugars limit per who-2015-free-sugars; not a fruit substitute.
Who should hold back: people managing blood glucose watch portion size; children follow the empty-stomach/ripe/moderate rules above. Consult a doctor for personal medical questions.
Choosing: ripe lychees have red, plump shells that yield slightly to pressure and smell fragrant; avoid green, sour, or wine-smelling fruit (the wine smell means fermentation has started). Color is not absolute across cultivars, but a green shell usually means unripe.
How to eat:
Eat ripe fruit: the only antidote to the encephalopathy scene — never give unripe lychee to childrenNo binge on an empty stomach: eat after a meal, especially for childrenModeration: 100-200 g (~5-10 fruits) per sitting for healthy adults; do not eat by the jinRemove the pit to prevent choking in children
Dried lychee concentrates sugar 4-5x — a high-free-sugar snack that counts toward the free-sugars limit per who-2015-free-sugars; not a fruit substitute.
Who should hold back: people managing blood glucose watch portion size; children follow the empty-stomach/ripe/moderate rules above. Consult a doctor for personal medical questions.
数字 · 荔枝干为什么要按零食算
荔枝干的糖浓缩 4-5 倍, 属于游离糖高的零食, 按 who-2015-free-sugars 的口径要计入每日游离糖限额, 别当水果替代.为什么烘干会改变它的身份, 值得展开一句, 因为同一条道理对所有果干都成立. 鲜果里真正限制你吃进多少糖的, 不是糖本身, 而是水和纤维撑起来的体积 — 一次能塞下的颗数有限, 胃很快就报告满了. 烘干把水拿走, 体积塌下去, 糖原样留着: 同样一把的重量, 颗数翻了好几倍, 而饱腹信号几乎没跟上来.
这就是游离糖这个词想框住的东西 — 糖一旦离开了完整水果那层结构, 它进入身体的速度和总量都不再受原来的限制. 荔枝干、葡萄干、芒果干都是同一个道理.
所以判断任何一种果干, 问的不是它是不是天然的, 而是它失掉了什么: 失掉的正是那层让你自然停下来的结构.
Chapter 8
Debunking · 'three fires' and 'lychee is toxic'
Debunking · 'three fires' and 'lychee is toxic'
Two claims about lychee circulate widely; taking them apart shows which category each belongs to.
'Three fires per lychee' (eating it causes shanghuo): this is a folk concept with no reliable physiological mechanism showing lychee specifically 'causes heat'. Explainable parts: high sugar irritates the throat lining, the juicy sticky flesh feeds oral bacteria, and overeating causes mouth discomfort. Those are dose effects, not a lychee-specific toxin. If the message is 'don't eat too many at once', there is more accurate language than 'shanghuo'.
'Lychee is toxic, don't give it to children': this comes from lychee encephalopathy, but it compresses a complex mechanism into a panic. The truth in special-knowledge: the dangerous combination is unripe + empty stomach + large amount + child; remove any condition and it is hard to trigger. Ripe lychee after a meal is normal fruit for children, not poison.
The universal way to read such claims: ask which mechanism it maps to and under what conditions it holds. 'Shanghuo' has no mechanism — it is a dose problem. Lychee encephalopathy has a full mechanism, but the stripped-out conditions are the key. State the conditions completely and the rumor collapses.
'Three fires per lychee' (eating it causes shanghuo): this is a folk concept with no reliable physiological mechanism showing lychee specifically 'causes heat'. Explainable parts: high sugar irritates the throat lining, the juicy sticky flesh feeds oral bacteria, and overeating causes mouth discomfort. Those are dose effects, not a lychee-specific toxin. If the message is 'don't eat too many at once', there is more accurate language than 'shanghuo'.
'Lychee is toxic, don't give it to children': this comes from lychee encephalopathy, but it compresses a complex mechanism into a panic. The truth in special-knowledge: the dangerous combination is unripe + empty stomach + large amount + child; remove any condition and it is hard to trigger. Ripe lychee after a meal is normal fruit for children, not poison.
The universal way to read such claims: ask which mechanism it maps to and under what conditions it holds. 'Shanghuo' has no mechanism — it is a dose problem. Lychee encephalopathy has a full mechanism, but the stripped-out conditions are the key. State the conditions completely and the rumor collapses.
误区 · 上火里那几条真的可解释的部分
把上火拆到能验证的层面, 剩下的东西不多, 但值得说清楚 — 因为同一套拆法对付其它食物性寒性热的说法都管用.荔枝吃多了确实有人觉得口腔发黏、嗓子不舒服. 可解释的部分有三条: 高糖的果汁反复冲刷咽喉黏膜; 荔枝多汁黏腻, 糖挂在口腔里给细菌当口粮; 一次吃太多本身就让口腔发涩发胀. 三条都是吃多了的后果, 不是荔枝独有的毒性 — 换成同样甜、同样多汁的水果, 同样会发生.
为什么值得较真: 上火把吃多了不舒服和这个东西有特殊危害混成了一句话. 混在一起的代价很实在 — 真正有条件、有机制的那条风险 (荔枝病) 反而被当成同一类模糊说法听过就算, 该守的三条 (熟、饱、少) 没人守.
所以统一的判断方法是两问: 先问它指向哪个能描述出来的机制, 再问它在什么条件下成立.
有机制、有条件 → 按条件执行, 别扩大也别缩小 (荔枝病属于这一类)没机制、只有量 → 那它说的其实就是别吃太多, 直说就好 (上火属于这一类)
这两问不只对荔枝有效. 下次再听到某种食物被说成发物、性寒或上火, 先按这两问过一遍, 大多数说法会自己把自己归到第二类里去.
References · 6
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. (2019). FoodData Central: Litchis, raw (SR Legacy, FDC ID 169086). Per 100 g of the edible aril: 66 kcal, 16.5 g carbohydrate of which 15.2 g sugars, 0.83 g protein, 0.44 g fat, 1.3 g fibre, 71.5 mg vitamin C, 171 mg potassium, 0.148 mg copper. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- World Health Organization. (2015). Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva: WHO. Recommends reducing free sugars to <10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation), and suggests a further reduction to <5% (conditional). 'Free sugars' include monosaccharides and disaccharides added by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates — explicitly distinguishing them from the intrinsic sugars in whole fruit, vegetables, and milk. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2021). Vitamin C — Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional
- Shrivastava, A., Kumar, A., Thomas, J. D., et al. (2017). Association of acute toxic encephalopathy with litchi consumption in an outbreak in Muzaffarpur, India, 2014: a case-control study. The Lancet Global Health, 5(4), e458-e466. Two toxins in litchi (hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine, MCPG) inhibit fatty-acid beta-oxidation and gluconeogenesis, precipitating hypoglycaemic encephalopathy in children who ate litchis after skipping dinner. 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30035-9
- Shrivastava, A., Srikantiah, P., Kumar, A., et al. (2015). Outbreaks of unexplained neurologic illness — Muzaffarpur, India, 2013-2014. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 64(3), 49-53. Case-control investigation linking the encephalopathy outbreaks to litchi consumption in children, particularly on an empty stomach. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6403a1.htm
- Spencer, P. S., & Palmer, V. S. (2017). The enigma of litchi toxicity: an emerging health concern in southern Asia. The Lancet Global Health, 5(4), e383-e384. Commentary explaining the metabolic mechanism: hypoglycin A / MCPG block beta-oxidation, depleting gluconeogenic substrates; malnutrition and skipped evening meals are the critical co-factors. 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30046-3