Over 40% of cancers are linked to diet! Poor eating habits, such as consuming food that is too hot, or a fondness for barbecued and preserved foods, can significantly increase the risk of developing cancer. Do you have any of these cancer-causing bad habits?
Esophageal Cancer
Eating food that is too hot, frequently eating pickled/cured foods
Eating food that is too hot is closely linked to the development of esophageal cancer. The esophageal wall is very delicate, and when the temperature of food exceeds 50°C-60°C, the mucous membrane of the esophagus can be scalded. Repeated scalding can lead to superficial ulcers, causing chronic oral mucosal inflammation, oral leukoplakia, esophagitis, atrophic gastritis, and other conditions. Over time, this can cause changes in the mucosal tissue, leading to cancer.
Meanwhile, cured or smoked foods, such as smoked meat, salted fish, and pickled vegetables, can produce nitrosamines, which are potent carcinogens. The Chaoshan region, known for its love of drinking piping hot gongfu tea and eating pickled foods, is a high-incidence area for esophageal and stomach cancer in Guangdong.
Gastric Cancer
Barbecued and preserved foods plant a "time bomb"
Asia is a major region with a high incidence of gastric cancer worldwide, and China's incidence rate is also very high, accounting for about 40% of the global total. Clinically, it has been found that many gastric cancer patients were previously suffering from chronic gastritis. They commonly had irregular meals and a preference for pickled and smoked foods.
Especially when grilling meat over charcoal, dripping fat produces toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These volatilize with the smoke and are reabsorbed into the food. This is why charcoal-grilled meat and fish have a special flavor, but these compounds are carcinogenic.
Colorectal Cancer
Too much red meat, too few fruits and vegetables
A long-term preference for eating red meats, such as beef, lamb, pork, and animal organs, combined with an insufficient intake of vegetables and fruits, greatly increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer. This is because when the body digests these high-cholesterol foods, it produces more metabolic byproducts of bile acids and cholesterol. This can lead to an increase in anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal cavity, and these factors strongly stimulate adenomas on the colorectal mucosa.
If dietary habits are not changed, after 5-10 years of this stimulation and development, the adenomas on the colorectal mucosa can undergo malignant transformation, eventually leading to colorectal cancer.
In contrast, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, which promotes intestinal peristalsis, stimulates the rapid excretion of stool, reduces the contact time between carcinogens and the intestinal lining, and dilutes the concentration of carcinogens in the intestine. Therefore, people with a high fiber intake have a lower chance of developing colorectal cancer.