"Hot Pot Syndrome" Easily Triggers Gout
As people gather around the stove, drink heartily, and enjoy hot pot, they often tend to forget the diseases it can cause, such as parasitic diseases and damage to the oral mucosa. Since the beginning of this year, as people's enthusiasm for eating raw ingredients has grown, gout, which was not very common a few years ago, has become a common "eaten" disease.
Gout has become rampant with the popularity of hot pot. A hospital in Shanghai once admitted several cases of acute gouty arthritis in a single day, all triggered by eating hot pot. Faced with the hordes of food lovers, doctors remind us that the old saying holds true: "illness enters through the mouth." Hot pot is indeed delicious, but when enjoying this traditional delicacy, health must be the principle.
"Purines" Lead to "Gout"
In addition to factors like constitution and fatigue, seafood, animal organs, mushrooms, and alcohol are the main culprits causing gout. This is because "purines," which bring the delicious umami flavor, cannot be tolerated by the body in large amounts, and they are the root cause of gout.
Relevant experts say that if excess "purines" cannot be expelled from the body, uric acid will deposit in the blood, causing gout. It often starts with an inexplicable "sprain" of the big toe, with recurring redness, swelling, and pain. If left uncontrolled, uric acid can further lead to joint deformity and eventually kidney damage and failure.
Gout is considered a "rich man's disease," with 85% of patients being overweight. Currently, gout patients are mostly high-income, sedentary, and socially active white-collar office workers. The age of onset has shifted from over 50 to around 30, often with a sudden attack the morning after a lavish seafood banquet. In China, gout has changed from a rare disease to a common one since the 1980s.
It is currently confirmed that seafood, meat, animal organs, mushrooms, alcohol, strong tea, and coffee contain high levels of "purines" and should be consumed in moderation. Many mistakenly believe that "not eating the meat and only drinking the broth" is a better option, but because "purines" fully leach into the long-simmered broth, gout often peaks during seasons when hot pots and casseroles are popular. It's better to skip the delicacies than to eat something too hot.
Every winter, due to the hot pot culture of "heat being the best delicacy," the number of patients with oral diseases increases sharply, by more than 15% compared to normal times.
Oral diseases caused by hot pot are mainly related to the oral mucosa. Because the temperature of hot pot broth can reach up to 120°C, eating it directly can easily scald the oral cavity, tongue, esophagus, and stomach lining. Some people who already have recurrent canker sores are prone to "internal heat" after eating hot pot, which increases their chances of getting canker sores several times over, or worsens existing oral mucosal inflammation. Repeatedly, this can also induce esophageal cancer.
The most dangerous are those with precancerous lesions such as oral leukoplakia or lichen planus. The high temperature of the hot pot and the stimulation of the condiments can aggravate these conditions. Therefore, when eating hot pot, one must not be impatient. It is best to follow the principle: "It's better to skip the delicacies than to eat something too hot."
Don't Be a "Host" for Parasites
The Parasitic Disease Control Department of the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention introduced that between 1995 and 1998, the number of patients with lung fluke infection in Shanghai showed a year-on-year increase. The reason was the prevalence of "raw and fierce" seafood at the time, allowing lung flukes parasitic in shrimp, crab, and other seafood to transfer to the human body. After 1998, as "raw and fierce" seafood became less popular, the number of lung fluke patients in Shanghai also decreased sharply.
According to data, in recent years, 70% of cases of cysticercosis were caused by eating unclean pork, and 20% of lung fluke infections were caused by eating unclean shrimp and crab.
Therefore, when eating hot pot, you must cut the meat thinly and cook it for a long time, and wash vegetables thoroughly. It is best to buy hot pot ingredients from large supermarkets or markets, as the meat, fish, and vegetables from these places have better safety and quarantine guarantees.