Eating overnight meals increases gastric cancer risk by 3.6 times
After the New Year, many young white-collar workers go on a shopping spree, spending their year-end bonuses. Before and during the holiday, they feast on rich foods, but afterward, they turn to pickles and radishes. For white-collar workers, packing leftover holiday food for lunch is a cost-effective measure.
However, recently, Guangzhou media reported that "bringing lunch has become a cause of gastric cancer in young women," a story that went viral on Weibo and garnered widespread attention! Can bringing lunch really cause gastric cancer? How can you bring lunch in a healthy way? Does the choice of lunchbox matter?
Improperly packed lunch can potentially lead to gastric cancer
"This report is evidence-based. The occurrence of gastric cancer is indeed closely related to dietary habits and composition," said Director Lü Bin from the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The medical community generally agrees that Helicobacter pylori infection and poor dietary habits, such as a preference for smoked, high-salt, spicy foods, and excessive alcohol consumption, can damage the gastric mucosa, causing gastritis, gastric ulcers, and other diseases. At the same time, some fried, pickled, or overnight foods contain carcinogenic substances. When a damaged gastric mucosa is exposed to these substances, it can easily lead to pathological changes and gastric cancer. "For example, many people who bring their lunches don't eat them on time, or the lunch tastes bad and spoils after being reheated, which can damage and destroy the gastric mucosa, potentially leading to gastric ulcers, atrophic gastritis, and even gastric cancer," Lü Bin explained.
"Last week, I saw a patient who came from Taizhou with a relative for a stomach condition. During the examination, he said he had long-term irregular eating habits, often forgetting to eat the packed meals he brought, eating erratically. As a result, he had a stomach ache. I advised him to get a check-up. During the gastroscopy, lesions were indeed found on his gastric mucosa, and he was later diagnosed with early-stage gastric cancer," Director Lü Bin stated. "Many white-collar workers find that their reheated lunches have spoiled and are inedible, so they just skip lunch. Others bring pickled vegetables or fried foods. Although convenient, these foods contain carcinogens like nitrites, which can damage the gastric mucosa and cause lesions. This is very dangerous!"
Eating overnight lunches increases gastric cancer risk by 3.6 times
"Never bring overnight food," Director Lü Bin repeatedly emphasized to reporters regarding the habit of bringing lunch. "According to my research, eating overnight lunches increases the risk of gastric cancer by 3.6 times."
Why is overnight food so dangerous? Because overnight food has been left out for a long time after cooking, bacteria can break it down, converting nitrates into carcinogenic nitrites, which cannot be removed by reheating.
First, rice (the staple food) and dishes should be stored separately and not mixed together. Mixing them promotes bacterial growth. Second, "leftovers should absolutely not be brought," reminded Zheng Peifen from the Nutrition Department of Zhejiang Hospital. Leftover dishes are often touched by multiple chopsticks and contain saliva, which can cause the food to spoil or even become moldy, which is harmful to health.
● Lessons from Others
Japanese Healthy Bento Guidelines
1. Do not eat overnight food from the refrigerator.
2. Cook rice in the morning; dishes can be frozen.
3. Keep rice and dishes separate. 4. Let the food cool completely before closing the bento box.
5. Remove any sauce or juice from the dishes.