Food is the first necessity of the people, and it is the material basis for human survival. With the development and progress of society, the modern concept of diet has undergone tremendous changes. Emphasizing nature, mood, fashion, refinement, taste, and freshness has become the keynote of modern dietary life. However, it is precisely because of these trends that people are now threatened by dietary syndromes.
Delicious Food Syndrome
In recent years, especially during holidays and festivals, it is common to encounter a strange illness in hospital outpatient clinics: dizziness, weakness, protruding eyeballs, trembling lower limbs, numbness in the limbs, and some also experience palpitations and mental agitation, with critical conditions. Yet, no cause can be found. After questioning, it is found that these conditions mostly occur after consuming delicious and sumptuous meals. It turns out that this condition is a little-known "Delicious Food Syndrome." As living standards improve, people pay more attention to the refinement, cooking, and deliciousness of food. During festivals and holidays, family and friends gather for a feast, and delicious dishes like chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seafood are naturally indispensable on the table. As a result, Delicious Food Syndrome has become increasingly common. Although chicken, duck, fish, and meat can satisfy one's palate, eating too much of them is harmful to the body.
The person who first discovered and named "Delicious Food Syndrome" was American internist Herman Cock. In the early 1990s, he proposed that the cause of this syndrome originated from delicious food. He believed that in umami foods like chicken, duck, fish, and meat, there is a large amount of sodium glutamate, which is the main component of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and can greatly stimulate the sense of taste. However, excessive sodium glutamate breaks down into glutamic acid and tyrosine in the body. Under the action of intestinal bacteria, tyrosine enters the brain tissue with the blood, which can interfere with the normal activity of brain cells and inhibit the physiological function of brain nerves, leading to a series of symptoms. If 5 grams of sodium glutamate are consumed at once, mild reactions can occur; consuming 10 grams or more can lead to severe symptoms. The prevention of Delicious Food Syndrome is simple: do not eat too much of MSG-containing foods like chicken, duck, fish, and meat in one sitting; do not add too much MSG when cooking; eat more green leafy vegetables, and have some fruit or drink tea after meals to promote gastrointestinal motility, which helps to expel harmful substances more quickly.
Tea Drunkenness Syndrome
When new tea hits the market, some people rush to taste it for its freshness, unaware that many experience symptoms such as elevated body temperature, dizziness, insomnia, a feeling of head swelling and blurred vision, limb weakness, stomach pain, bloating, and constipation after drinking it. Experts call this "Tea Drunkenness Syndrome." This is because new tea contains high levels of caffeine, active alkaloids, and various aromatic substances, which can easily excite the human nervous system and are particularly detrimental to those with neurasthenia or cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, new tea contains a high amount of unoxidized polyphenols and aldehyde-alcohol substances, which have a strong irritating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa. People with poor gastrointestinal function, especially those with chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, may experience discomfort like epigastric pain, bloating, constipation, and a dry mouth and throat when drinking new tea. The way to prevent this condition is: after purchasing new tea, do not drink it immediately, and certainly not in large quantities. It is best to store it for a period of time first. After some of the polyphenols, aldehydes, and alcohols have volatilized or oxidized, and the activity of caffeine, alkaloids, or aromatic substances has decreased, it will be safer and more beneficial to health to drink it.
Late-Night Meal Syndrome
With the rise of urban nightlife, the phenomenon of dining out has increased, and "Late-Night Meal Syndrome" is quietly creeping up on people. Its main manifestations are a continuous increase in the amount of late-night meals, prolonged dining times leading to insomnia, a lack of appetite for breakfast, and gradual weight gain. Over time, this can lead to many diseases.
Generally speaking, the quantity and timing of meals for normal people are relatively stable. However, the eating patterns of "Late-Night Meal Syndrome" patients disrupt the biological clock rhythm. Especially when eating in restaurants, the increased amount of food per meal not only easily leads to weight gain but also brings hidden dangers for various illnesses. The reason is: many bodily functions are controlled by the nervous system, and gastrointestinal function is no exception. Due to the dominance of sympathetic nerve activity during the day, gastrointestinal digestive and absorption functions are weaker. At night, insulin secretion is higher. Even with the same amount of food intake, late-night diners digest food more completely and synthesize more neutral fats, making them prone to weight gain and digestive and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is best to have a simple, light dinner for evening meals. Overindulging in fine food and wine and strong tea is not beneficial for the health and well-being of city dwellers.
Local Snack Syndrome
Nowadays, in many restaurants and hotels across China, some local specialty snacks such as "raw mixed shrimp meat," "raw mixed pork," "raw slice hot pot" from southwestern regions, "crossing-the-bridge rice noodles" from Yunnan, and "satay noodles" from Fujian have become "delicacies" at banquets and are commonly seen in many city restaurants. These specialty snacks all involve lightly blanching raw pork slices in hot soup and then eating them with seasonings or mixed with rice noodles or vermicelli. Consuming raw mixed raw meat, pork, and undercooked hot pot beef or pork can lead to infection with cysticerci and cause tapeworm disease. Tapeworms in the small intestine mainly manifest as digestive system symptoms. Tapeworm disease (especially pork tapeworm disease) requires timely treatment; otherwise, the eggs in the developing pork tapeworm can hatch into oncospheres, which travel through the bloodstream to various organs, causing cysticercosis. Cysticercosis is much more serious than tapeworm disease and can lead to blindness, epilepsy, or even death. Therefore, meat must be eaten safely and must be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
Traveler's Diarrhea Syndrome
People are now getting better at balancing work and leisure. On weekends or holidays, people often go out in groups of three or five to travel, breathe the fresh air of nature, and relax their tense nerves, which is very enjoyable. However, diarrhea caused by *Giardia lamblia* (also known as giardiasis) has a high incidence among travelers, hence it is called "Traveler's Diarrhea" syndrome. Giardiasis is widespread in Chinese cities, with infection rates of 3.3% in Beijing, 6.0% in Shanghai, 12.5% in Shenyang, and as high as 20% in some cities.
People are easily infected with giardia when traveling. The most common symptoms after infection are diarrhea and abdominal pain. Patients are often infected by consuming food contaminated with giardia cysts. A patient with giardiasis can excrete hundreds of millions of cysts in their feces in a single day, which has a strong contaminating effect. Cysts can survive for 4 days in water and 12 days in the digestive tract of flies, so flies, cockroaches, and contaminated water are all transmission media. When traveling, tourists must pay attention to food hygiene and protect themselves. Once diarrhea occurs, be alert to the possibility of giardiasis and confirm it by testing a stool sample.
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
As it is well-known that heavy drinking is harmful to health, many "alcohol lovers" now start to quit drinking to avoid the toxic effects of alcohol on the body. However, some people who have consumed large amounts of alcohol for a long time may experience various discomfort symptoms within two to three days of suddenly stopping. Mild symptoms include tremors in hands and feet, agitation, insomnia, palpitations, loss of appetite, drowsiness, irritability, and dry heaving. Severe cases can involve epileptic seizures, hallucinations, delusions, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms are medically known as "Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome." The main reason for this is that long-term, heavy drinking leads to physical dependence on alcohol. Once drinking stops, the body cannot adapt immediately, leading to the aforementioned symptoms. Therefore, long-term heavy drinkers, especially those with a large consumption, should be alert to the occurrence of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome when they want to quit or have to stop drinking due to illness. During this period, they should try to avoid factors that may trigger this syndrome, such as eating spicy and irritating foods, drinking beverages that can excite the brain like strong tea or coffee, and physical fatigue or mental stress. Quitting alcohol should be a gradual process of reducing consumption before stopping completely. Therefore, quitting alcohol should not be rushed to avoid "Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome."
Fast Food Syndrome
Due to the advantages of fast food—convenience, speed, time-saving, and economy—it has become an ideal diet for the general public. However, long-term consumption of fast food, such as instant noodles, boxed meals, sausages, and canned foods, can lead to a series of symptoms including malnutrition, dizziness, iron-deficiency anemia, mouth ulcers, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Experts call this "Fast Food Syndrome." The reasons are as follows: first, the nutritional content is incomplete. The main component of convenient food is carbohydrates, which do not fully include essential nutrients like protein, fat, and minerals. Nutritionists' surveys have confirmed that long-term consumption of convenient food leads to malnutrition in 60% of people, iron-deficiency anemia in 54%, riboflavin deficiency in 23%, and zinc deficiency in 16%. Second, although some convenient foods are sealed, they cannot be completely isolated from air. The micropores in the plastic film still have a certain permeability, allowing air and pathogenic microorganisms to enter the package, causing the food to spoil and leading to diseases like diarrhea and cancer. Third, the oil in instant noodles generally contains antioxidants, but these only slow down the oxidation process and delay rancidity; they cannot effectively prevent it completely. Once oily food becomes rancid, it destroys nutrients and produces peroxides. Excessive peroxides entering the body can damage important enzyme systems and promote premature aging or disease.
Hot Pot Syndrome
Nowadays, in big cities and small towns, all kinds of hot pot restaurants can be seen everywhere, and business is booming. With its delicious taste and unique charm, hot pot is increasingly loved by people. However, some people, after eating hot pot for two or three days, often experience symptoms such as a sore throat, swollen gums, a sore or bleeding tongue, mouth ulcers, herpes on the lips, abdominal bloating and pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and even gastrointestinal bleeding. Medical experts call this "Hot Pot Syndrome."