China's high cancer incidence is due to eating too much pork? Reminder: 3 parts of the pig, it is recommended to eat less

Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, once shared a set of data that China consumes 230,000 tons of meat a day . On average, 1.4 billion people consume about 164 grams of meat per person per day.

Pork is the first place in China's meat consumption. The Chinese eat 700 million pigs a year , and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a report saying that China eats one-half of the world's pigs a year.

On the one hand, pork has become a popular delicacy, such as fried pork chops, bacon, stewed meat, braised pork.... On the other hand, as our living standards are getting higher and higher, eating well, the diseases that come to our door are not Less, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, etc. become high.

Some people say that the reason why there are so many cancers is because of eating too much pork? Because pork is red meat, it can cause cancer. Is it really?

1. The high incidence of cancer is the fault of pork?

As early as 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meat as a "category 1 carcinogen" and red meat as a "category 2A carcinogen".

According to the World Health Organization's "Diet, Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention" report, red and processed meats increase people's risk of cancer. Red and processed meat intake of 50 grams per day was associated with an 18% increased risk of bowel cancer, and when the intake reached 100 grams per day, the risk of bowel cancer increased to 36%.

The World Health Organization said that this report is not to make people stop eating meat completely . The relationship between red meat and cancer is limited . What we recommend is to reduce consumption. If you encounter a small intake, it is recommended not to increase again.

Numerous studies have shown that eating too much protein and fat in the daily diet, as well as eating less dietary fiber, may increase the risk of colorectal cancer , especially red and processed meat.

Associate Professor Ye Yanbin from the Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University pointed out that there is no need to stop eating because of worrying that red meat and processed meat will increase the risk of cancer . To maintain good health, the key is to have a balanced diet and balanced nutrition.

2. How to eat pork healthy?

In our daily life, pork is the most commonly eaten red meat. Pork has certain nutritional value and is a high-quality food source of protein and iron .

Eating pork itself is not the culprit in causing the disease, the problem is eating pork the wrong way. So how do you eat pork to be healthy? It is recommended to note the following points:

1. Control your intake

Usually, you should prefer to eat pork, and you can eat some pork liver appropriately. The dietary guidelines for Chinese residents recommend that the daily consumption of livestock and poultry meat, including pork, should be controlled at 40-75 grams, while the animal liver, including pig liver, can be eaten 2-3 times a month, with an amount of about 25 grams per serving. gram.

2. Pay attention to the cooking method

When cooking with pork, it is recommended to use less barbecue and frying, and use low-temperature cooking methods , which can not only improve food safety, but also retain more nutrients.

3. Combination of meat and vegetables

When cooking with pork, it is necessary to match vegetables rich in vitamin C, such as rapeseed, green peppers and bitter gourd, etc., which will not only help promote iron absorption, but also balance nutrition and avoid excessive intake of pork.

4. Eat less processed pork products

Processed products such as cured meat, bacon and bacon made from pork not only contain high salt content, but also produce a variety of carcinogens during the production process, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, etc. The nutritional value of pork is reduced.

5. Sour pork

Freshly slaughtered pork, which has become stiff due to muscle tissue contraction, has a poorer taste although the nutritional content has not changed. It is recommended to put the pork in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours for acid removal, which will make the meat of the pork softer, and the quality and safety will also be improved.

6. 3 parts of pigs should be avoided

·The diseased lymph nodes of pigs , commonly known as meat dates or flower seeds, are all over the pig's body, especially the neck.

Pig's thyroid , commonly known as particle meat, is located at the back of the pig's throat and on the ventral side of the trachea.

· The adrenal glands of pigs , commonly known as small kidneys, are located in front of the medial border of the kidneys.

These three parts contain a large amount of porcine endocrine hormones, pathogenic microorganisms and other harmful substances, which have certain health risks.

Regularly slaughtered pork will require these parts to be removed. If you find these three parts when buying pork, don't buy it.

3. These are clear carcinogens, so eat less or not

Eating pork in moderation will not cause harm to health. Instead, the following foods are the real culprits of cancer, and should be eaten as little or as little as possible in daily life.

1. Betel nut

Areca nut has long been listed as a first-class carcinogen by the International Cancer Research Center and the former State Food and Drug Administration of China.

Chemicals in betel nut, when chewed, produce nitroso , a compound that has been known to cause cancer. Moreover, the texture of betel nut is hard, and it is easy to cause mechanical trauma to the oral mucosa when chewing, which may also cause oral cancer in the long run.

2. Benzopyrene

Benzopyrene is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The ways of entering the human body include inhalation, ingestion and transdermal absorption.

After benzopyrene enters the human body, only a small part will be excreted with feces , and most of the rest will be converted into various metabolites under the activation of certain enzymes. These metabolites can damage cell genes, and once the gene damage cannot be repaired in time , may lead to cell cancer.

The main sources of benzopyrene include car exhaust, cigarette smoke, smoked and cooked food and so on. When the oil temperature reaches 270°C or more, benzopyrene will be produced. Benzopyrene is also produced during grilling, especially when grilling high-fat foods (such as fatty meat, lamb chops and chicken skin, etc. ).

3. Nitrosamines

The predecessor of nitrosamines is nitrite, which is very common in the natural environment. The food we usually eat also contains nitrite. For example, each kilogram of vegetables contains about 4 mg of nitrite, and each kilogram of meat contains about 4 mg of nitrite. Contains 3 mg of nitrite, and eggs also have about 5 mg of nitrite per kilogram.

Although nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, after the human body ingests nitrite, most of it will be excreted in urine, but if you consume a large amount of nitrite-rich foods for a long time, such as pickles, cured meat and smoked foods , etc. , Nitrite binds to proteins and produces strong carcinogens, nitrosamines, which can increase the risk of various cancers such as esophagus, stomach, colorectal, bladder and liver cancers.

In addition to pickled and smoked foods, sources of nitrosamines also include cigarettes, beer, and hot pot soup bases .

4. Aflatoxin

Aflatoxin is a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance. Its toxicity is 10 times that of potassium cyanide and 68 cups of arsenic. The general population can cause cancer by ingesting 1 mg of aflatoxin, and ingesting more than 20 mg at a time can directly lead to death.

Aflatoxin is mainly derived from the humid environment of 28-38 ℃, especially moldy high-starch foods , such as moldy peanuts, nuts, corn and beans . Ordinary boiling disinfection method cannot kill aflatoxin, only when the temperature is higher than 280 ℃, aflatoxin can be killed.

Although pork belongs to red meat, and red meat is classified as a carcinogen, it does not mean that eating pork will definitely cause cancer. As long as you master the correct method of eating pork, you can eat pork in moderation, which is also beneficial to the body. Moreover, the occurrence of cancer is the result of a combination of factors such as heredity, environment, poor diet and living habits.

References:

[1]Watling， C.Z.， Schmidt， J.A.， Dunneram， Y. et al. Risk of cancer in regular and low meat-eaters， fish-eaters， and vegetarians： a prospective analysis of UK Biobank participants. BMC Med 20， 73 (2022).

[2] "On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, slaughter the pig and cut the meat for the new year" 5 tips for healthy eating pork

[3] Attention! These first-level carcinogens are very common in life, but many people are still in the dark. Popular Science China, 2020-08-02

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