Nearly half of the world's gastric cancer is in China. Advice: If you don't want to get gastric cancer, 2 kinds of food should be taken off the table as soon as possible
The 18-year-old Xiaoting was two months after the college entrance examination, and her mother found that her body was too thin, which seemed a bit abnormal. At this time, Xiaoting said that she felt abdominal pain from time to time.
So her mother took her to the hospital for an examination, and found that Xiaoting's two ovaries had grown tumors. Later, after a detailed examination, it was found that the lesions were caused by gastric cancer, and the gastric cancer had reached the advanced stage.
After inquiring by the doctor, the culprit was finally found. It turned out that Xiaoting lived in the school for three years in high school, often bought barbecue outside, and sometimes even used barbecue as a staple food for several days . It was this eating habit that eventually induced stomach cancer .
In fact, Xiaoting had symptoms of stomach discomfort long before, but she didn't pay attention to it, which led to missing the opportunity to detect gastric cancer early.
What are the main factors that induce gastric cancer? What should you pay attention to in your usual diet?
1. The Lancet: Helicobacter pylori is the biggest bane of gastric cancer in China
The incidence of gastric cancer in China accounts for 44% of the world, and the death toll accounts for 50%. There are more than 1 million new gastric cancer patients in the world every year, and about 500,000 of them are in China. It can be seen that China is a country with a high incidence of gastric cancer.
Regarding the factors that induce gastric cancer, currently known mainly include genetic factors (carrying specific gene mutations), infection factors (carrying Helicobacter pylori), dietary factors (excessive intake of high salt, smoked food, lack of vegetables and fruits) and habits factors (drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, etc.).
Among these factors, the biggest external cause is Helicobacter pylori. It is estimated that more than 50% of the people in China carry Helicobacter pylori, and the total number exceeds 700 million. This is a huge number and one of the important reasons for the high incidence of gastric cancer in China.
A gastric cancer study on the Chinese population was published in The Lancet. The study used samples from the Kadoorie Biobank in China and followed up for up to 10 years. It was found that the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in patients with non-cardia gastric cancer was as high as 94.4% %, cardia cancer was 92.2%, and the general population was 75.6%.
This study shows that, whether it is gastric cardia cancer or non-cardia gastric cancer, H. pylori infection is a huge risk of gastric cancer in the Chinese population. About 80% of non-cardia gastric cancers and more than 60% of cardia cancers in China are caused by Helicobacter pylori infection .
Helicobacter pylori mainly parasitizes on the gastric mucosa of the gastric antrum and pylorus. When it reproduces and grows, it will produce toxins, directly cause damage to the gastric mucosa, and also stimulate the human immune inflammatory response. Over time, it may cause gastric ulcers , chronic gastritis and other diseases.
From the development of Helicobacter pylori infection to gastric cancer, it usually goes through four stages, namely chronic superficial gastritis-atrophic gastritis-intestinal metaplasia-dysplastic hyperplasia.
2. Two kinds of food may accelerate the progression of gastric cancer, it is better to eat less
The occurrence of gastric cancer is also closely related to diet. If you take the following foods for a long time, it may accelerate the development of gastric cancer. It is best to eat less.
1. BBQ
If you eat a lot of barbecue for a long time, it may increase the risk of gastric cancer.
Lei Min, deputy director of the Nutrition Department of the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, mentioned that after the meat is roasted at high temperature, the protein and fat contained in the meat are easily denatured, and a large amount of harmful substances are produced, such as benzopyrene and heterocyclic amines. Long-term consumption of large amounts may induce gastric cancer .
2. Pickled food
In the process of pickling food, a large amount of nitrite will be produced. After nitrate enters the stomach, it will form nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are carcinogens . If you take pickled food for a long time, it will stimulate the gastric mucosal epithelium, and under the combined action of other factors, it will easily lead to the occurrence of gastric cancer.
The early symptoms of gastric cancer are not obvious, and it is easy to be confused with other gastric diseases. If the following symptoms appear, you should be alert to the symptoms of gastric cancer and seek medical examination as soon as possible:
- Unexplained rapid weight loss and obvious emaciation;
- Stomach pain that becomes constant and irregular;
- a hard, painful lump in the abdomen;
- Recurrent heartburn and acid reflux;
- Unexplained black stools.
3. Eradication of Helicobacter pylori can effectively reduce the risk of gastric cancer
Since Helicobacter pylori infection is the biggest external cause of gastric cancer, can eradicating Helicobacter pylori reduce the risk of gastric cancer for high-risk groups?
A related study was published in the top journal Gastroenterology. The study recruited 1,630 Helicobacter pylori-infected people, and then randomly divided these patients into half of the population to receive Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy and the other half to a placebo.
After up to 26.5 years of follow-up, it was found that compared with the placebo group, patients receiving Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy reduced the risk of gastric cancer by 43% .
That is to say, for high-risk groups of gastric cancer, eradication of Helicobacter pylori may have a long-term protective effect, especially for infected people who have not yet developed precancerous lesions. For patients with lymphoma of peptic ulcer and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue in the past, eradication therapy is necessary.
Because Helicobacter pylori is closely related to the recurrence and complications of these diseases, eradicating Helicobacter pylori can significantly reduce the recurrence rate of the disease while treating the disease.
The current method of eradicating Helicobacter pylori is quadruple therapy, that is, four drugs are used in combination for treatment. Two antibiotics plus a bismuth and a proton pump inhibitor are required respectively . The usual course of treatment is 14 days. patient selection.
If you want to prevent Helicobacter pylori, you must develop these three habits in your daily life:
- develop good hygiene habits
Wash hands before and after meals, wash or peel fruits and vegetables, do not eat undercooked meat, and do not drink unboiled water.
- Do not feed "mouth-to-mouth"
Do not mouth-feed children, because young children have immature immune systems and are susceptible to Helicobacter pylori infection.
- Adopt family meal sharing system
If a family member suffers from Helicobacter pylori infection, you must pay attention to sharing meals, use serving chopsticks and spoons to serve food, and family members should not serve each other's dishes. Usually, pay attention to regular boiling and disinfection of tableware.
Faced with the high incidence of gastric cancer, we should pay attention to the high risk factors of gastric cancer in our daily life. In addition to paying attention to diet and living habits, we must also be alert to the hazards of Helicobacter pylori infection.
References:
[1] The Lancet: The higher the education, the more infections! It's time for China to eradicate Helicobacter pylori." Mays Medicine. 2021-12-10
[2] "It is the "accomplice" of gastric cancer, almost 1 out of every 2 people is caught! Doing so can prevent...". Popular Science China. 2022-02-28
[3] "Four Worst Habits of Eating! Make you sick from eating! ". Health Times. 2020-05-08
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