Food is the paramount necessity of the people, and it is the material basis for human survival. With the development and progress of society, the modern diet has undergone tremendous changes. Emphasizing nature, sentiment, fashion, refinement, taste, and freshness has become the基调 of modern dietary life. However, it is precisely because of these trends that people are now threatened by dietary syndromes.
In recent years, especially during holidays, a strange illness is often encountered in hospital outpatient clinics: dizziness, weakness, bulging eyes, shaking lower limbs, numbness in the limbs, and some even experience palpitations and anxiety, with critical conditions. Yet, the cause cannot be found. Upon questioning, it is found that these conditions mostly occur after indulging in delicious food. 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 their food. During festivals and holidays, families and friends gather for sumptuous feasts, where delicacies like chicken, duck, meat, fish, and seafood are naturally indispensable on the table. Consequently, delicious food syndrome has become increasingly common. Although chicken, duck, meat, and fish can greatly satisfy one's palate, eating too much is harmful to the body.
The first person to discover and name "delicious food syndrome" was American internist Herman C. Cock. In the early 1990s, he proposed that the cause of this syndrome originated from delicious food. He believed that in umami-rich foods like chicken, duck, meat, and fish, there is a large amount of sodium glutamate, the main component of monosodium glutamate (MSG), which can greatly stimulate the sense of taste. However, excessive sodium glutamate breaks down into glutamic acid and tyrosine in the body. Tyrosine, under the action of intestinal bacteria, reaches the brain tissue via the blood, interfering with the normal activity of brain cells and inhibiting the physiological function of brain nerves, leading to a series of symptoms. If 5 grams of sodium glutamate is consumed at once, mild reactions can occur, and consuming 10 grams or more can lead to severe symptoms. The prevention of delicious food syndrome is simple: do not eat too much MSG and delicious foods high in sodium glutamate at one time; 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 expel harmful substances more quickly.
When new tea is on the market, some people rush to taste it for its freshness, unaware that many people experience a series of symptoms after drinking it, such as elevated body temperature, dizziness, insomnia, a swollen head and blurred vision, limb weakness, stomach pain, bloating, and constipation. Experts call this "drunk tea 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 unfavorable for people with neurasthenia and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, new tea contains high levels of unoxidized polyphenols and a considerable amount of aldehyde and alcohol substances. These substances have a strong stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa. People with poor gastrointestinal function, especially those with chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, are prone to discomfort symptoms such as epigastric and abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and 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 in the tea 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.
With the rise of urban nightlife, the phenomenon of dining out has increased, and "late-night dining syndrome" is quietly creeping up on people. Its main manifestations are a continuous increase in the amount of late-night meals, extended dining times leading to insomnia, loss 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 diet of patients with "late-night dining syndrome" disrupts the biological clock rhythm. Especially when eating in restaurants, the increased amount of food at one meal not only easily leads to weight gain but also brings hidden dangers for various diseases. The reason is: many functions of the human body are controlled by the nervous system, and gastrointestinal function is no exception. Due to the dominance of sympathetic nerve activity during the day, the digestive and absorption functions of the gastrointestinal tract are weaker. At night, insulin secretion is higher, so even with the same amount of food, late-night diners digest 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 diet in the evening. Overeating, fine wines and delicacies, and strong tea are not beneficial for the health and well-being of urban dwellers.
Now, in many restaurants and hotels in cities across China, some local specialty snacks such as "raw shrimp meat," "raw pork," "raw slice hot pot" from the southwestern region, "crossing the bridge rice noodles" from Yunnan, and "satay noodles" from Fujian have become "delicacies" at banquets and are often seen in many city restaurants. These specialty snacks involve briefly blanching raw pork slices in hot broth and then eating them with dipping sauces or mixed with rice noodles. Eating raw mixed meat, raw pork, and undercooked hot pot beef or pork can lead to infection with cysticerci and cause tapeworm disease. Tapeworms parasitize in the small intestine, mainly manifesting as digestive system symptoms. Tapeworm disease (especially pork tapeworm disease) must be treated promptly; otherwise, the developing eggs in the 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 in patients. Therefore, meat must be safe and thoroughly cooked before eating.
People are now getting better at balancing work and leisure. On weekends or holidays, people always go out in groups of three or five to travel, breathe the fresh air of nature, and relax their tense nerves, which is very pleasant. 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 widely prevalent in cities in China, 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 with Giardia 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 ability. 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, protect themselves, and be alert to the possibility of giardiasis if diarrhea occurs, as it can be diagnosed by testing a stool sample.
Since the harmful effects of alcohol on health are well-known, many "alcohol lovers" have started to quit drinking to avoid the toxicity of alcohol to the human body. However, some people who have been drinking heavily for a long time may experience various discomfort symptoms within two to three days after suddenly stopping. Mild symptoms include tremors in hands and feet, agitation, insomnia, palpitations, loss of appetite, drowsiness, irritability, and dry heaving. Severe symptoms can include epileptic seizures, hallucinations, delusions, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms are medically known as "alcohol withdrawal syndrome." The main reason for its occurrence 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, people who have been long-term drinkers, especially those with large alcohol consumption, should be alert to the occurrence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome if 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 other irritating foods, drinking beverages like strong tea and coffee that can excite the brain, and physical fatigue or mental stress. Quitting alcohol should go through a gradual reduction phase before completely stopping. Therefore, quitting alcohol should not be rushed to avoid "alcohol withdrawal syndrome."
Due to the advantages of convenience, speed, time-saving, and economy, fast food has become an ideal diet for the majority of consumers. However, long-term consumption of fast food, such as instant noodles, boxed meals, sausages, and canned foods, can cause a series of symptoms including malnutrition, dizziness, iron-deficiency anemia, oral ulcers, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Experts call this "fast food syndrome." The reasons are as follows: first, the nutrition is not comprehensive. The main component of convenience food is carbohydrates, which does not completely contain essential nutrients for the human body such as protein, fat, and minerals. A survey by nutritionists confirmed that long-term consumption of convenience 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 convenience foods are sealed, they cannot be completely isolated from the air. The micropores on the plastic film still have a certain permeability, allowing air and pathogenic microorganisms to enter the bag, causing the food to become moldy and spoiled, leading to diseases such as diarrhea and cancer. Third, the oil in instant noodles generally contains antioxidants, but only slows down the oxidation rate and delays the rancidity time; it cannot completely and effectively prevent rancidity. When oil-containing 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.
Nowadays, whether in big cities or small towns, all kinds of hot pot restaurants or shops can be seen everywhere, and business is booming. Hot pot is increasingly loved by people for its delicious taste and unique charm. However, some people, two or three days after eating hot pot, often experience symptoms such as sore throat, swollen gums, a sore tongue, oral ulcers or bleeding, lip herpes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and even gastrointestinal bleeding. Medical experts call this "hot pot syndrome."