What causes tumors? What foods are associated with tumors? In fact, in daily life, some small details might become the main killers causing tumors. Let's see if you've eaten these foods, which can easily lead to tumors.
I. Excessive Consumption of "Warm and Hot" Foods
The so-called "warm and hot" foods refer to two types: one is food that is directly too hot and scalding; the other is food that belongs to the "warm and hot" category in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Because they are overly pungent and hot, they can easily damage the mucosal epithelial cells of the digestive tract. Therefore, foods of this nature are most likely to induce tumors of the digestive system.
1. Diet that is Too Hot and Scalding
A diet that is too hot and scalding is an important cause of esophageal cancer and other digestive system tumors. Consuming overly hot food can damage and irritate the esophageal mucosal epithelium, and long-term stimulation will induce malignant changes in the tissue. The incidence of digestive system tumors in Chinese people is significantly higher than in Westerners, which is related to the Chinese preference for hot food, often having hot soups with every meal, such as vegetable soup, noodle soup, etc. In contrast, Western diets are relatively simple, with hot soups being uncommon and cold drinks like juice and cola being more frequently consumed.
2. Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is considered pungent and hot in nature. Long-term alcohol consumption is the most common factor in the development of digestive system tumors. The southwest region of Shandong is a high-incidence area for esophageal cancer, which is related to the local diet's preference for hot food and alcohol.
In fact, as early as 1964, the World Health Organization considered the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages to be associated with oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, and esophageal cancer. In a survey comparing Tongxing Township in Qidong County, Jiangsu Province (a relatively high-incidence area for liver cancer), with Xining Township (a relatively low-incidence area), it was found that the liver cancer mortality rate in the former was 2.5 times that of the latter. The two townships are separated by only one road, their natural environments are basically the same, and their smoking rates are also similar. The only difference is that people in the high-incidence area love to drink alcohol, while people in the low-incidence area prefer tea.
3. Fried and Smoked Foods
Fried and smoked foods also belong to the "hot" category in TCM. Because these foods are subjected to high-temperature frying and roasting, they also become "hot" foods. Research has confirmed that long-term consumption of such foods can easily lead to stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer.
4. Coffee
Just as Chinese people love tea, Westerners generally prefer coffee. After a 5-year epidemiological investigation, American scholars concluded that caffeine has a certain effect on the development of pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer. People who drink coffee regularly are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop these two types of cancer than those who do not. Among pancreatic cancer patients, at least half are caused by excessive coffee consumption.
II. Imbalance of the Five Flavors
TCM believes that a diet should have a balanced combination of the five flavors: sweet, bitter, sour, pungent, and salty. Overindulgence in any single flavor can lead to disease. Among the factors causing tumors, excessive consumption of rich, greasy foods and excessive saltiness are common ones.
1. Excessive Consumption of Rich and Greasy Foods
In TCM, rich and greasy foods belong to the sweet and greasy category. From a clinical research perspective, sweet foods—namely, starchy and sugary foods—when consumed in excess, can easily lead to stomach cancer. Excessive intake of high-fat foods, such as fatty meat and grease, can promote breast cancer, colorectal cancer, rectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. From a TCM perspective, tumors fall under the category of "accumulation syndrome." The *Neijing* (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) states that accumulation syndrome is the stagnation of body fluids and blood stasis. A rich and greasy diet easily promotes dampness and phlegm production, which undoubtedly aggravates the accumulation of these pathological products.
From a modern medical perspective, a diet high in fat can prompt the liver to secrete more bile. Once in the intestine, primary bile acids in the bile are converted into deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid by anaerobic bacteria. These two substances are both tumor promoters that can cause intestinal mucosal cells to become cancerous. At the same time, fat can also provide a suitable environment for the growth of various tumors.
2. Excessive Saltiness
In addition to table salt, salty foods also include pickled vegetables, salted fish, cured meat, and other preserved products. According to relevant research, the risk of developing esophageal cancer for people who frequently eat preserved foods is 2.79 times higher than for those who rarely eat them. A preference for salty food most easily leads to stomach cancer. Japanese fishermen who love to eat salted fish have a high prevalence of stomach and esophageal cancer. A fondness for salted fish is also an important factor in causing nasopharyngeal cancer. Malaysian researchers found that coastal residents suffer from more nasopharyngeal cancer, which is related to their love for salted fish. A survey in China showed that in high-incidence areas of stomach cancer, the average daily salt intake per person is 50 grams; in low-incidence areas, it is only about 6 grams.
In reality, salt itself is not carcinogenic. The cause of carcinogenesis is that a high concentration of salt solution can easily damage the protective layer of the gastric mucosa, causing mucosal erosion or ulcers. In this situation, once exposed to carcinogens, it can promote local carcinogenesis of gastric mucosal cells. Salt is an essential substance for the human body, but it should not be consumed in excess. It is generally recommended that the normal daily salt intake should be controlled to within 6 grams.
III. Consumption of Altered Foods
1. Moldy Food
Aflatoxin has been recognized as the most potent carcinogen. Aflatoxin is abundant in moldy grains, corn, and peanuts. This fungus thrives in warm and humid environments, and studies have found that it can induce various tumors in experimental animals. This factor is an important reason for the high incidence of cancer in some regions of Asia and Africa.
2. Preserved Foods
Nitrites are also recognized carcinogens. Large amounts of nitrites are produced when vegetables, fresh meat, etc., are preserved. Nitroso compounds are found in salted dried fish, fermented pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, leftover cooked cabbage, sausages, and meats. Frequently consuming these foods poses a cancer risk.