April 15th to 21st this year is the National Cancer Prevention and Control Publicity Week, and the theme of this publicity week is "Lighting the Road to Anti-cancer and Helping Healthy China".
In order to respond to National Health Commission’s call and contribute to "Healthy China 2030", Qianxianjun specially started with our daily diet, combined with the list of carcinogens published by IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization), and took stock of the carcinogenic diets lurking around us to prevent the slow progress and protect our health.
In 2012, a film "China on the Tip of the Tongue" was born. Focusing on Chinese’s beautiful pursuit of food and life, the documentary connected the stories of people and told the food ecology in various parts of China. Fry, stir-fry, stir-fry, stir-fry, cook and stew. Chinese skillfully uses various cooking methods to process and cook ordinary ingredients into delicious food.
From Korean kimchi by the Hulan River in Heilongjiang, to Nuodeng ham in the deep mountains of Dali, Yunnan, from the steaming Lamian Noodles in Lanzhou in the morning, to the flexible rice cakes in Ningbo during the New Year, the four sides eat things, but a bowl of fireworks. The food in my hometown domesticates our taste buds and becomes the homesickness that haunts wanderers.
Source: Douban "China on the Tip of the Tongue" entry
But today, we are not going to introduce local cuisines, but to cool down everyone’s enthusiasm for food (cold-hearted). Taking the common foods in life as an example, we will take stock of the cancer-causing diets lurking around us, hoping to satisfy our appetite while taking care of our health.
01 bacon, salted fish and other processed meat
"In Hunan in the mainland, in August of the lunar calendar, the flowers in the rice fields are blooming, and it is time for the Miao people to make pickled fish and bacon. Xiangxi is rich in wood, and hardwood is the best fuel for smoked bacon, such as tea tree and bayberry tree. When smoking and roasting, the cured meat should be hung on the fire pit for heating and cooking, and pine cones, tea shells and orange peels should be put into the fire pit continuously, so that the smoked bacon will have the fragrance of tea fruits. For the simple Miao family, salted fish and bacon is not only a kind of food, but also a life and memory preserved in the years, which will never be forgotten.
In today’s Huangshan area, ham and bacon are still drying in the backyard of farmers, which is full of pastoral atmosphere. The "knife board incense" made of salted bacon is a main course for hospitality and one of the representative works of Huizhou cuisine. In Master Ye’s view, the peasant ham in my hometown is the most delicious ham in the world. Of course, he must know that in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, not far from ancient Huizhou, a famous ham is also produced … "
Source: China on the Tip of the Tongue
Which southern family doesn’t have their own preserved sausage and bacon in their new year’s goods? In the cold winter, a pot of fragrant wormwood fried sausage is served, which is liked by adults and children.
However, although sausages are beautiful, you can’t be greedy!
According to the List of Carcinogens of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization, processed meat belongs to Class 1 carcinogen. People who eat more than one or two (that is, 50g) of processed meat every day will increase the incidence of colorectal cancer by 10%~20%. This is because processed meat contains a lot of nitrite, which is highly carcinogenic. Whether it is sausage cured with salt and spices, ham smoked with charcoal fire, and braised pork, it belongs to processed meat.
Sausage bacon and other creative ideas
From Japan to South Korea, and then to the coastal areas in East China, the incidence of gastric cancer and esophageal cancer is ridiculously high. After a lot of research, scientists found that people in ancient coastal areas mostly made a living by fishing, but in summer, fish that were not eaten in time were easy to rot, so our clever ancestors invented salted fish, which could greatly extend its shelf life by pickling and drying it in the sun, and this custom has been inherited ever since. This is a very common folk processing method in itself, but today it has to be labeled as "unhealthy food".
In the report "Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases" issued by the joint expert group of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, salted fish is clearly classified as a kind of carcinogen, and it is believed that Chinese salted fish will cause cancer, and eating salted fish often will increase the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
The creativity of salted fish and worms
Because nitrite in salted fish is likely to exceed the standard, and these nitrites may interact with protein in fish to form nitrosamines, a strong carcinogen, which is what we are most worried about.
Many friends will say that our hometown people all eat bacon and salted fish. I haven’t heard of anyone who has cancer. You who do popular science like to scare people. It needs to be emphasized here that the epidemiological investigation of diseases is to explore the correlation between such diseases and some bad habits from the perspective of groups and big data, indicating that this bad habit will increase the probability of suffering from diseases, and correlation is not equal to causality. From an individual perspective, it does not mean that eating bacon and salted fish will definitely lead to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
But for the sake of everyone’s health, we still recommend eating processed meat in low frequency and in small amount, which is safer.
02 pickles
"In the early morning of autumn, the ancient Hulan River flows through Yuan Ye. It originated in Xiaoxing ‘anling and meandered into Songhua River. Jin Shunji grew up by the Hulan River. For her, her hometown is the flavor of kimchi that makes her dream. The cabbage in the vegetable garden is planted by my mother every July when she is prostrate. In order to make kimchi, all varieties with tight hearts and tender leaves are selected.
Today, my daughter learned how to make kimchi with her mother for the first time. There are many kinds of Korean kimchi, and even if it is only one variety, it can present many different flavors: refreshing cold food, delicious cooking, and so on. In the long winter, with the company of crispy and sweet spicy cabbage, it seems that the dull days will become warm, rich and delicious … "
Source: China on the Tip of the Tongue
When it comes to nitrite, you have to say kimchi. The appetizing and refreshing kimchi is the national food of Korean people, and it often appears on the table of our country as a small meal, but it also has the risk of cancer. During fermentation, nitrate in vegetables will be greatly reduced, resulting in a large amount of nitrite, which is known to be highly carcinogenic.
Pickled vegetables, worms and creativity
However, there is a trick to eat kimchi, which can reduce the harm of nitrite.
On the fifth to seventh day of pickling, the nitrite content generally rises to the peak, which happens to be the best state of kimchi taste. So many friends will take out kimchi and eat it at this time, which is very incorrect.
If you can wait patiently for a few more days, the content of nitrite will gradually decrease after pickling kimchi for more than 9 days, and it will almost decrease to the national standard value after about 15 days. Therefore, it is usually recommended that kimchi be eaten after 15 days in the jar.
In addition, some people will choose to make a lot of kimchi at a time and eat it while soaking. In this process, kimchi may be polluted to varying degrees, which increases the possibility of bacterial growth. Therefore, it is recommended to eat enough kimchi. The incidence of gastric cancer in Korea ranks first in the world, which is inseparable from the craze for kimchi.
03 leftovers
All the elderly people in the family know that they are used to saving all their lives, mending (broken clothes), leaving (hot meals) and cutting (broken food). It is a virtue to mend clothes when they are broken, but it is not good for your health to eat the leftover food when it is broken. Let’s talk about leftovers, especially leftovers, which is the home of nitrite.
When the leftovers are left at room temperature for 6 hours or refrigerated for 24 hours, microorganisms may gradually start to breed, transforming the nitrate contained in the leftovers into toxic nitrite. If these foods are ingested by the human body for a long time, it will greatly increase the occurrence of tumors such as gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. However, meat food contains less nitrate, and meat dishes can be preserved for 1 ~ 2 days under the condition of refrigeration or frozen preservation.
From this, we can draw a conclusion that leftovers need to be eaten within 24 hours, and leftovers can be eaten within 48 hours. Many office workers worry that take-out is unsanitary and will bring their own meals. This is a good habit, but it is necessary to remember that lunch on the first day should be eaten at noon the next day at the latest, and it is best not to put it in the evening.
Creativity of refrigerator worm
In summary, we can see that processed meat, pickles and leftovers are inseparable from limited storage conditions and economic conditions.
According to statistics, the incidence of gastric cancer has been continuously decreasing in recent 30 years, whether in Europe, America or China, and the incidence in urban areas is much lower than that in rural areas. The reason is that the economy has developed rapidly and people’s living standards have been significantly improved, which has led to the widespread use of refrigerators, prolonged the shelf life of food and freed us from dependence on pickled food (processed meat and kimchi). From here, we can also see how important it is for health to eat fresh vegetables and meat.
04 moldy food
As we mentioned earlier, the old people are used to "cutting bad food", but even if the bad parts are cut off or thrown away, the toxins produced by mildew have already spread to the rest, and when they are eaten in their stomachs, they will have abdominal pain and diarrhea, and even cause disease and cancer. One of the most frightening toxins is aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin, also known as "arsenic", is the most toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin found so far. The toxicity of aflatoxin B1 is 10 times that of potassium cyanide, 68 times that of arsenic and 75 times that of standard carcinogen dimethyl nitramine. The incidence of most cancers is related to the intake of this toxin.
The idea of moldy orange worm
It is reported that the physical and chemical properties of aflatoxin are quite stable, which can not be destroyed by general cooking, even if it is sterilized at 100℃ for 20 hours, it may not be completely removed. And it can not be degraded in human body, and can only be deposited in liver cells. When aflatoxin deposition exceeds human tolerance, it will cause liver damage and induce liver cancer.
Aflatoxin mainly comes from contaminated grain and its products, such as peanuts, peanut oil, corn, corn oil and dried fruits such as melon seeds and walnuts.
If the grain becomes discolored or deteriorated, especially with yellow-green mold, don’t eat it. If you eat bitter melon seeds, almonds and other nuts, you must spit them out in time and gargle. Because the bitter taste of nuts such as melon seeds comes from aflatoxin produced in the process of mildew. If the edible oil has a "spicy taste", it is because aflatoxin is produced after the oil is oxidized and rancid. Here, it is suggested to throw away the bad edible oil quickly, remember to buy small packaged food and consume it quickly.
What if the old people at home protest? Then let’s figure it out with him, whether we should care about toxic and spoiled food or the health of our family.
05 barbecue
"At eight or nine o’clock in the evening, the sun has not set, and the nightlife in Urumqi needs to wait. Many people have gathered at Sulaiman Barbecue Restaurant, and while waiting for the roast of lamb intestines, the heart will beat more than usual.
With the high temperature roasting, the natural fat on the sausage melts and smells fragrant, and the corn flour absorbs the oil, which is fried into a slight corn flavor, and it is integrated with the mutton. The baked surface of the sausage is brown, just sprinkle with cumin, pepper and salt. The last thing that comes out is the capsule that really provides carbohydrate. The bag should also be sprinkled with seasoning and buckled on the barbecue to heat and rub the taste. In this way, a vitality package that fascinates Xinjiang people is successful … "
Source: "A String of Life"
Finally, when it comes to barbecue, don’t you like barbecue when you are reading this article? Summer night, friends, barbecue beer, if coupled with a wonderful World Cup live broadcast, wouldn’t it be beautiful? It is precisely because everyone loves to eat, and the frequency is relatively high, so the health problems about barbecue need our attention.
Barbecue Tuchong creativity
During barbecue, due to the high baking temperature, the fat, cholesterol and other components in food may be pyrolyzed or thermally polymerized at high temperature to form benzopyrene. Especially in the burnt part, the amount of benzopyrene will increase significantly.
Benzopyrene is a strong carcinogen, which can cause lung cancer, gastric cancer, bladder cancer and digestive tract cancer. Benzopyrene is also teratogenic and mutagenic, which can affect offspring through the mother’s placenta, thus causing embryo malformation or death and the decline of immune function of offspring.
Are you surprised to see this? The delicious kebab is actually a smiling tiger hiding a knife. Seeing that summer is coming again, shall we still eat this string? In fact, if handled properly, the harm of barbecue can be greatly reduced.
Someone once did an experiment with roasted sausage. When he roasted it for the first time, the fire was in direct contact with the sausage, which led to the sausage being directly burnt in the final product, and the benzopyrene content was 10.7ug/kg. However, when he changed the barbecue method and separated the sausage from the fire by 5cm, the sausage was not only delicious, but also the benzopyrene content was only 0.67ug/kg. When the scientist further changed the way, Accordingly, it also brings us some inspiration to eat barbecue healthily:
Master the temperature, and the food is not in direct contact with the flame;
Cut small pieces, turn over frequently, and don’t eat the burnt part;
Replace charcoal fire with electricity or gas;
Wrap food in tin foil before baking;
Eat barbecue in small quantities and at low frequency.
Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori is not a food, but it is closely related to our diet. Especially in China, the system of separate meals has not been popularized, and it is easy for people at a table to pinch chopsticks in several dishes, so the infection of Helicobacter pylori in China is often familial.
In addition, kissing and sneezing can cause the infection of Helicobacter pylori. According to the epidemiological survey of Helicobacter pylori group of Chinese Medical Association, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in China is 59%, which means that one in every two people is infected.
The creativity of gathering dinner and eating worms
However, there is no need to panic, because clinically, nearly 90% of infected people have no symptoms all their lives, and Helicobacter pylori is quietly not a demon in their bodies. However, for a small number of patients, after Helicobacter pylori multiplies in the stomach, it may damage the gastric mucosa and cause gastritis or peptic ulcer. If not treated, some patients will suffer from gastric cancer. In 1994, Helicobacter pylori was listed as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization and the International Institute for Cancer Research, and it was considered that 78% of gastric cancer could be attributed to chronic Helicobacter pylori infection.
Nowadays, with the increasing popularity of people’s knowledge of Helicobacter pylori, C13 or C14 breath test has also been included in the routine physical examination items. For ordinary people, it is no longer a problem to do a good job of dividing meals, protecting gastric mucosa and regular physical examination in life.
07 alcohol
The story of Chinese and wine has a long history. Through archaeological excavations, it has been found that there is wine in Shang bronzes three or four thousand years ago. Li Bai, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, was both a poet and Brewmaster. The wine culture has been extended to this day, and the wine table culture of not getting drunk and not returning has also been born. All kinds of wine merchants are more accurate in positioning and hot in marketing. There are "Haidahei" wine, which focuses on young people and is known as "young people’s label", red wine, which focuses on women and claims to be a beauty before going to bed, and xx medicinal wine, which focuses on middle-aged and elderly men and claims to prolong life. However, regardless of the advertisements of major wine shops, the World Health Organization uses severe and cold research data to hit the face: Don’t drink! Carcinogenic!
Drinks, worms and creativity
Studies have shown that 5.5% of cancers and 5.8% of cancer deaths in the world are caused by alcohol, which means that one out of every 18 cancers is drunk. Nearly 800,000 cancer patients worldwide are caused by drinking every year!
In fact, alcohol itself is not a carcinogen. The real danger is its metabolite in the body: acetaldehyde. After alcohol (ethanol) enters the body, it is metabolized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase, and then to acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which is excluded from the body. Both ethanol and acetic acid are relatively safe, but acetaldehyde in the middle is a definite carcinogen, because it can directly bind DNA and induce gene mutation. The World Health Organization lists acetaldehyde as a first-class carcinogen!
Metabolic process of alcohol in the body
Drinking alcohol is directly related to breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer. Of course, the types of cancer that are most closely related to alcohol come from the tissues that will be in direct contact with drinking: oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer and so on. The latest data from the United States shows that 41% of oral cancer and 21% of esophageal cancer are related to drinking.
Moreover, most East Asians carry mutated acetaldehyde dehydrogenase gene, which makes it impossible to effectively degrade acetaldehyde. Drinking alcohol in Chinese is more likely to cause cancer! The most dangerous thing is to drink a lot of alcohol for a long time. The amount of alcohol is positively correlated with the risk of cancer. The more you drink, the longer you drink, the higher the probability of cancer.
How much wine is safe if people have to drink two drinks at dinner? The official recommended amount in the United States is: no more than one serving of alcohol per day for women and no more than two for men. One serving of alcohol is about 18ml(14g). The alcohol content in different wines is different. In conversion, beer is about 350ml, wine is about 150ml, and 50-degree liquor is 35ml.
At this point, the inventory of common carcinogenic diets is over. Let’s summarize the main points of this article:
Processed meats such as bacon and ham are eaten in low frequency and in small quantities;
Kimchi is eaten in low frequency and small amount;
Barbecue is low frequency and eaten in small quantities;
Leftovers need to be eaten within 24 hours;
Don’t eat moldy and rotten food;
Remember to check helicobacter pylori in physical examination;
Don’t drink, don’t drink.
Finally, I will show you the list of carcinogens published by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization), which should be the most authoritative list of carcinogens in the world, and the carcinogens mentioned in this article are extracted here. National Medical Products Administration also specially compiled and translated all the lists for everyone-click "Read the original" at the end of the article to get there directly. (See "Clinical Frontline" in WeChat official account)
In the list, according to the amount of evidence, carcinogens are divided into four categories:
Class 1: definite carcinogens (120 kinds)
Class 2A: probable carcinogen (81 species)
Category 2B: Possible carcinogens (299 species)
Class 3: No evidence, suspected carcinogen (502 species)
From a scientific point of view, I suggest that you must learn from Category 1. Everything in it is widely verified, and there is evidence related to the human body, which is unanimously recognized by the scientific community.
Class 2A should be understood that the substance in it is usually clear in animal experiments, but the data in human body are insufficient, so there is still controversy about human carcinogenicity.
Class 2B and class 3 evidence are insufficient, and the scientific community is controversial, so there is no need to worry.
The second aunt and the third uncle in the family group often forward "shock! Xx is carcinogenic! " The common routine of the article is to exaggerate the harm of 2B or 3 substances with weak carcinogenic evidence, such as coffee, tea, printing ink, fluorescent lighting and so on. What needs to be reminded here is that correlation is not equal to causality, and many carcinogens need a long time and a large amount of accumulation to cause cancer. In daily life, developing good living habits can keep cancer away.
reference data
1. How to Eat for Cancer Patients: A Prescription for You by Experts from Beijing Cancer Hospital, written by Yang Yue and Wang Xing, Tsinghua University Publishing House.
2. Food documentary "China on the Tip of the Tongue"
3. Food documentary "A String of Life"
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrite#Toxicity
5. https://monographs.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Classifications_by_cancer_site.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori#Cancers
7. List of carcinogens of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (official website link of the Food and Drug Administration)
https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/xxgk/mtbd/20171030163101383.html
8. "Barbecue, salted fish, sausage, fried food … Are they really carcinogenic? ",pineapple factor
9. Why is half of the gastric cancer in the world in China? More in rural areas than in cities? ",pineapple factor
10. "2018 first screen paper: endless troubles! Drinking alcohol can directly lead to irreversible mutation of stem cell genes! ",pineapple factor
