Banana-eating world record bid scrapped over heart-attack fears

An attempt to help set a new world record for eating bananas has been scaled back over health fears. On medical advice, organisers of Oadby's Fairtrade Festival have scrapped plans to allow people to eat as many as they like as part of the attempt, and ordered fewer bananas.

The Fairtrade Foundation is trying to set a new record of one million Fairtrade bananas eaten in 24 hours, from noon on Friday, March 6.

Organiser Chris Swan, 47, from Oadby, spoke to two medical staff who told her that eating too many bananas in a short space of time can cause vomiting, while high levels of potassium in the body could even trigger a heart attack.



She said: "The event won't have individuals eating as many bananas as they can in an hour or anything like that now. "I've been told by a nurse and a trainee medic that an overload of potassium can be bad for your heart. We're still going to help break the record, but we'll be making sure people just eat a few, rather than cramming them in and getting ill."

When Chris heard about the dangers of eating too many bananas, she thought it was a joke. She said: "I can't believe that anyone can become ill from eating too much fruit – bananas are supposed to be very good for you."

Dr Angela Lennox, general practitioner at Prince Phillip House, on St Matthew's estate, Leicester, said the tropical fruit contained potassium which, in high enough doses, could cause illness. She said: "Potassium can cause severe heart disease and, potentially, a cardiac arrest. You're more likely to be very sick, as they contain a lot of calories."