Is stomach cancer caused by eating?

Yu Ziyue, an intern reporter at Science Times

Recently, topics related to gastric cancer such as "Gastric cancer is caused by eating one bite at a time" and "The occurrence of gastric cancer is a long process" have frequently appeared on Weibo hot searches. Liu Kuiliang, chief physician of the Digestive Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital, said: "Bad eating habits are indeed an important pathogenic factor for gastric cancer. In addition, Helicobacter pylori infection, gender, age, and genetic factors are also important causes." He said that gastric cancer is a long-term pathogenic process, and some can last for more than ten years. Short-term bad eating habits generally do not cause cancer, but long-term bad eating habits, if combined with other pathogenic factors such as Helicobacter pylori infection and family history, will greatly increase the incidence rate. In addition, the risk of gastric cancer in men is usually higher than that in women, and the risk of the elderly is also higher.

Liu Kuiliang introduced that most early-stage gastric cancers have no symptoms. If symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and black stools occur, the disease has mostly reached the advanced stage, and even if intervention treatment is carried out, the effect is not ideal. Gastroscopy screening is the gold standard for early diagnosis of gastric cancer. It is recommended that people over 40 years old, especially the high-risk groups mentioned above, have regular physical examinations and gastroscopy screening, and the frequency of follow-up should be determined according to the condition of the gastric mucosa.

In order to prevent stomach cancer, we should eat a balanced diet with less salt and oil, avoid consuming too much salty and oily food, hot pot, barbecue, pickled, smoked and fried products, red meat such as beef and mutton, ham and other processed foods. We should develop the habit of eating breakfast and avoid eating leftovers. "We should follow the principle of moderate intake and eat until we are 80% full at each meal to avoid overloading the digestive system," said Liu Kuiliang.