According to relevant research, China's cancer incidence rate is gradually increasing every year. Therefore, cancer is one of humanity's greatest enemies. Some foods have even been added to a cancer "blacklist," and we will detail them for you below.
The causes of malignant tumors are the result of long-term combined effects of multiple factors, mainly including living environment, the body's own immunity, metabolic function, 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 essential for maintaining physical health," experts say. "We should also eat more fresh vegetables and fruits in our daily lives, as these can supplement the immune capacity of the body's 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 disease, who should pay more attention to these issues."
Three types of food enter the cancer "blacklist"
1. Barbecued food: The grease in grilled meat contains multiple carcinogens
When grilling over an open flame, grease from the meat dripping onto hot charcoal produces carcinogenic substances—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including more than 400 carcinogenic compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene and tetramethylbenzene. Some of these carcinogenic compounds enter the human digestive tract through the grilled meat, while others 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 barbecue have twice the chance of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not eat barbecue food.
To eat barbecue healthily, first, choose the right grilling method; you should opt for oven or electric grilling. 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 highest concentration of carcinogens. Many people like to drink a few glasses of ice beer with barbecue, which also increases the absorption of carcinogens.
2. Puffed food: Eating too much can easily lead to excessive heavy metals
Popcorn may be the earliest puffed food people ate, but few know that popcorn made in a high-temperature, sealed lead pot will contain a lot of lead after it comes out of the pot. Puffed foods contain heavy metals for two reasons: first, processing such foods often requires additives like leavening agents, and second, the food is processed through metal pipes. These pipes are usually made of lead-tin alloy, and at high temperatures, the lead can vaporize and then contaminate the puffed food.
Frequent consumption of 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 body's nervous, digestive, and hematopoietic systems, especially leading to cognitive impairment or a decline in thinking ability.
In pursuit of texture, 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 can ultimately lead to an increased incidence of obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, some malignant tumors, and dementia.
3. Fried food: Makes you sick and slows your mind
When the oil used for frying food is used many times, it becomes what we commonly call "repeatedly used oil." This 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, unscrupulous operators add leavening agents containing potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate to the youtiao. If you eat too much food containing this leavening agent, it is most likely to damage brain tissue and may lead to the onset of senile dementia.