Many people have this feeling. Cancer is getting closer, but they are not ready yet.
According to the latest global cancer burden data for 2020 recently released by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), China has become a veritable “cancer country.” In 2020, there were 4.57 million new cancer cases in China, including 2.48 million males and 2.09 million females. There were 3 million cancer deaths in China in 2020, including 1.82 million males and 1.18 million females.
We might as well look at the data of other countries. The top ten countries with new cancer cases in 2020 are: China 4.57 million, the United States 2.28 million, India 1.32 million, Japan 1.03 million, Germany 630,000, Brazil 590,000, Russia 590,000, France 470,000, the United Kingdom 460,000, and Italy 420,000. The top ten countries with the most cancer deaths in 2020 are: China 3 million, India 850,000, the United States 610,000, Japan 420,000, Russia 310,000, Brazil 260,000, Germany 250,000, Indonesia 4.23 million, France 190,000, and the United Kingdom 180,000.
Without comparison, just looking at the data, you may not feel that scary. After all, our country has a large population base and is still the most populous country in the world. But after the comparison, you will feel a chill down your spine and a creepy feeling.
India, like my country, is also a populous country. The "World Population Prospects 2022" predicts that in 2023, India will surpass China and become the world's most populous country. India's population will continue to grow and reach 1.668 billion in 2050, and China's population will be 1.317 billion by then, about 80 million less than the current 1.4 billion.
China is also a country with a large population. The number of cancer incidence and deaths in China is more than three times that of India.
Let’s take a look at the data from the National Cancer Center. In February 2022, the National Cancer Center released the latest national cancer statistics. The National Cancer Registry Center is responsible for the collection, quality control, summary, analysis and release of national tumor registration data. (Since the data of the National Cancer Registry Center generally lags behind, the data released in this report are collected and summarized by the National Cancer Registry Center and the registration data of the National Cancer Registry in 2016.)
According to the released data, there were 4.064 million new cancer cases in my country in 2016, and the top seven were lung cancer, Colorectal cancer, stomach cancer , liver cancer , breast cancer, and esophageal cancer. In terms of new cases, the incidence rates of lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer are higher in cities than in rural areas, while the incidence rates of gastric cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer , and esophageal cancer are higher in rural areas than in cities.
Except for lung cancer and breast cancer, the top seven cancers are all cancers from the digestive system.
Although there are many factors that lead to cancer, for cancers of the digestive system, diet is undoubtedly the most important causative factor. The World Health Organization pointed out in its "Cancer Report" that 1/3 of tumors can be prevented, 1/3 of tumors can be cured through early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment, and the other 1/3 of tumors can be treated to relieve pain, prolong life, and improve the patient's quality of life.
In view of the above three points, WHO also put forward the perspective of tertiary cancer prevention. Since there are many types of digestive system cancers, they actually account for 5 of the top seven new cancer cases, and diet is the most important causative factor for digestive tract cancer. Today, we will talk about what bad eating habits can induce cancer.
First, pickled food. In addition to requiring special techniques, pickled food also requires a lot of salt. Pickled food is a favorite of many people. If you go to the wet market, you will find stalls that specialize in selling pickled food. Pickled foods such as pickles, salted fish, salted eggs, and salted meat are actually very popular in real life.
People who like pickled food think that pickled food is particularly delicious. In many areas in the north, it is difficult to buy fresh vegetables during the cold winter, so people have developed the habit of pickling vegetables in advance to prepare for the winter. When drinking porridge, eating noodles, or making noodles, if you don’t order pickles, it will really have no taste, but eating in large quantities for a long time Eating pickled food will cause harm to health. It turns out that the nitrate content in pickled food is very high. The nitrate ingested into the stomach is converted into nitrite under the action of bacteria. Nitrite combines with amines to form nitrosamines . Many people think that nitrates and nitrites are carcinogens. This is incorrect. The real carcinogens are actually nitrosamines. Nitrosamines can induce a variety of cancers, including the well-known esophageal cancer and gastric cancer.
Pickled foods also contain a risk factor, which is high salt. If you consume too much salt, it will easily lead to a high osmotic pressure between the gastric mucosal cells and the outside world. Once the osmotic pressure increases, it will destroy the gastric mucosal defense barrier. Over time, it may cause damage to the gastric mucosa, and the risk of inflammation and ulcers will also be greatly increased. Chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcer , etc. are all precancerous lesions of gastric cancer. Under the stimulation of high salt, these diseases recur repeatedly and linger, which naturally greatly increases the risk of gastric cancer.
Second, hot food. In real life, we are exposed to all kinds of hot food. In addition to hot pot and spicy hot pot, it also includes three very hot meals a day, as well as the hot tea and coffee we drink. Over a long period of time, we have become accustomed to these hot foods and have never felt that they have any adverse effects on us. On the contrary, if we don’t eat such hot food, we will not get used to it. The question is, is eating hot food for a long time really good for our health?
The answer is no. The so-called eating while hot is good for the stomach and intestines is completely a rumor. The most vulnerable part of the body to be injured when eating hot food for a long time is the esophagus. Hot food repeatedly stimulates the esophageal mucosa and can easily cause localized or diffuse epithelial hyperplasia in the esophagus. This is a precancerous lesion of esophageal cancer, and the risk of turning into esophageal cancer is very high.
In view of the close relationship between hot food and cancer, as early as 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) included overheated drinks with temperatures exceeding 65°C on the list of Class 2A carcinogens.
Third, moldy food. Many people are very economical. If the fruit at home becomes moldy, they are reluctant to throw it away. They cut off the bad parts and leave the good parts to continue eating. When the grain and meat at home become moldy, they are also reluctant to throw it away. They wash and cook it and continue to eat it.
Let’s answer the first question first. If you cut off the moldy parts, will the rest be safe? It is also unsafe, because the place that looks good to the naked eye is likely to be contaminated by mold, but it is not visible to the naked eye at this time. The mold will also inject a substance called aflatoxin into the food. I believe many people have heard of the name aflatoxin. As early as 1993, the World Health Organization had classified aflatoxin as a Class 1 carcinogen. Its carcinogenic ability is very strong, 70 times that of dimethylnitrosamine.
Next, let’s answer the second question. Is it okay to wash and cook moldy food? Many people think that no matter how poisonous aflatoxin is, it can’t withstand high temperatures. They don’t believe that cooking it won’t kill it. What I am saying is that we underestimate aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is resistant to high temperatures. Only when the temperature exceeds 280 degrees Celsius can it be killed. If you boil it with boiling water, even if it is 100 degrees Celsius, there is nothing you can do with aflatoxin.
Fourth, fried food. Deep-frying is an ancient cooking method. The fried food not only looks more attractive in color, but also crispy and delicious. Fried dough sticks, French fries, fried chicken, meatballs... There are fried skewers restaurants in many places, and they even advertise that everything can be fried. However, eating fried food is really not a healthy eating habit.During the process of high-temperature frying, the content and absorption rate of vitamins and proteins are greatly reduced. Fried foods have high calories. Eating fried foods will make people fatter. Substances such as peroxides, heterocyclic amines, and acrylamide produced during the frying process have carcinogenic effects. The oil used by many vendors when frying is often reused, which is more harmful.
