The causes of malignant tumors are the result of the long-term combined effects of multiple factors, mainly including living environment factors, human body's own immunity, metabolic function, and genetic factors. Diet is also one of the factors that can cause cancer. "However, in any case, scientific and balanced dietary habits and a healthy lifestyle are necessary conditions for maintaining physical health," experts say. "We should also eat more fresh vegetables and fruits in our daily lives, which can supplement the immune capacity of human 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 should 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 on the cancer "black list"
1. Barbecued food: The oil in grilled meat contains various carcinogens
During open-flame barbecuing, the oil from the grilled meat dripping onto the hot charcoal produces carcinogenic substances—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 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, and some enter the human respiratory tract through the smoke and fumes 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, you should choose the right barbecue method, such as oven roasting 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 most carcinogens. In summer, many people like to drink a few glasses of ice beer with barbecue, which also increases the absorption of carcinogens invisibly.
2. Puffed food: Eating too much can easily lead to excessive heavy metals
Popcorn may be the earliest puffed food people ate, but many people don't know that popcorn made in a high-temperature, sealed lead pot will contain a lot of lead after it's cooked. Puffed food contains heavy metals for two reasons: first, processing such foods often requires the addition of additives such as leavening agents; second, the food is processed through metal pipes, which usually contain lead, tin alloys, etc. At high temperatures, these lead compounds are prone to vaporize, and the vaporized lead will 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 be metabolized naturally. When harmful heavy metals accumulate to a certain amount, they can cause significant damage to the human body's nervous, digestive, and hematopoietic systems, especially leading to cognitive impairment or a decline in thinking ability.
In pursuit of taste, some puffed foods are coated with hydrogenated oils on their surface. The longer the baking time and the higher the temperature, the more trans fatty acids will be produced. Trans fatty acids can be harmful to the human body and ultimately can lead to an increased incidence of obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, some malignant tumors, dementia, etc.
3. Fried food: Makes you sick and dulls your mind
When the oil used for frying food is used many times, it becomes what we commonly call "reused oil". Reused 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 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 taste, some unscrupulous operators will add leavening agents containing potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate to the youtiao. If you eat too much food containing this kind of leavening agent, it will most easily damage brain tissue and may lead to the occurrence of senile dementia.