The causes of malignant tumors are the result of long-term interaction of multiple factors, mainly including living environment factors, human immunity, metabolic functions, and genetic factors. Diet is also one of the factors that can cause cancer. "However, regardless of the situation, a scientific and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are necessary conditions for maintaining good health," experts say. "We should also eat more fresh vegetables and fruits in our daily lives, as these can supplement the immune capacity of human immune cells."
New medical research now shows that genes also have a significant impact on cancer. "Therefore, citizens should develop the habit of regular health check-ups. Some diseases need to be detected and treated early, especially for citizens with a family history of diseases, who should pay more attention to these issues."
1. Barbecued food: The oil in grilled meat contains various carcinogens
When grilling over an open flame, the oil from the meat dripping onto hot charcoal produces carcinogenic substances—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including more than 400 carcinogenic compounds such as benzopyrene and tetramethylbenzene. Some of these carcinogenic compounds enter the human digestive tract through the grilled meat, and some enter the human respiratory tract through the smoke from the barbecue. After these carcinogens accumulate in the body, they can induce stomach cancer, intestinal cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, etc. Relevant data shows that women who often eat grilled food have twice the chance of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not eat grilled food.
To eat barbecue healthily, first, you should choose the correct grilling method, such as using an oven or electric grill. Second, eat less fatty meat. You can grill it with the skin on, but you should remove the skin before eating. The burnt parts must not be eaten because they contain the most carcinogens. In summer, many people like to drink a few glasses of ice beer with barbecue, which also increases the absorption of carcinogens invisibly.
2. Puffed food: Eating too much can easily lead to excessive heavy metals
Popcorn may be the earliest puffed food people ate, but few people know that popcorn made in a high-temperature sealed lead pot will contain a lot of lead after it's cooked. Puffed foods contain heavy metals for two reasons: first, processing such foods often requires the addition of additives like leavening agents; second, the food is processed through metal pipes, which are usually made of lead-tin alloy. At high temperatures, these metals can vaporize, and the vaporized lead can contaminate the puffed food.
Frequently eating puffed food is very harmful to children. Lead will slowly accumulate in the blood and bones and is difficult to metabolize naturally. When harmful heavy metals accumulate to a certain level, they can cause significant damage to the human nervous, digestive, and hematopoietic systems, especially leading to cognitive impairment or a decline in thinking ability.
In pursuit of taste, some puffed foods are coated with hydrogenated oils. The longer the baking time and the higher the temperature, the more trans fatty acids are produced. Trans fatty acids can be harmful to the human body and ultimately can increase the incidence of obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, some malignant tumors, dementia, etc.
3. Fried food: Makes you sick and slows your mind
Oil used for frying food multiple times becomes what we commonly call "reused oil." Reused oil contains a large amount of trans fatty acids, which can cause great harm to the human body, such as fatty liver, high blood pressure, cholecystitis, stomach diseases, diabetes, obesity, and it may even increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and various cancers.
Youtiao (fried dough sticks) are a favorite breakfast for many people. However, in pursuit of texture, some unscrupulous operators add leavening agents containing potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate to youtiao. If you eat too much food containing these leavening agents, it will most easily damage brain tissue and may lead to the occurrence of senile dementia.