Why is gastric cancer becoming younger and younger?

In the past, when I heard about elders getting stomach cancer, I felt that it was a “middle-aged disease” and it was not my turn to worry about it.

But in recent years, gastric cancer has become younger and younger, with many people suffering from gastric cancer in their twenties or thirties!

This is mainly because the living conditions and working habits of contemporary young people cause them to frequently "step on landmines".

1. Staying up late

"Staying up late for work, staying up late for watching TV series..." "If we don't stay up late, we will get old!"

However, staying up late will affect the repair of the gastrointestinal mucosa, and will also cause endocrine and immune system disorders, creating conditions for the occurrence of cancer.

2. High mental stress

"If I don't have some pressure now, I'd be embarrassed to call myself a 'social animal'."

However, being in a state of mental tension, depression, anxiety, and fear for a long time can easily lead to abnormal gastric acid secretion, gastric mucosal vasomotor dysfunction, etc.

This will cause chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, resulting in symptoms such as stomach pain and bloating, which may eventually develop into gastric cancer.

3. “Chronic stomach problems”

Many young people may have chronic stomach diseases, among which gastritis is the most common.

It only takes four steps from gastritis to gastric cancer (chronic superficial gastritis → chronic atrophic gastritis → intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia → gastric cancer), which takes about 5-10 years, or even shorter.

Other stomach diseases may also develop into gastric cancer, such as: gastric perforation, gastric bleeding, gastric ulcer, and bloating.

4. Wrong posture for eating

Skipping breakfast

When you sleep at night, gastric acid is still secreted in small amounts. After 8 hours of accumulation, it is enough to cause damage to the stomach.

If you don't eat breakfast at this time and fill your stomach with food, the gastric acid concentration will rise again, and chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers will easily come.

Overeating or dieting

Overeating can cause the stomach to work too hard, while dieting can cause the stomach to be empty of food.

But no matter what the situation is, gastric acid is constantly secreted, causing micromucosal edema, and in severe cases leading to gastritis and gastric ulcers, thus creating the risk of gastric cancer.

Love late night snacks

Some people not only stay up late, but also like to eat midnight snacks. The food left in the stomach will cause a large amount of gastric juice to be secreted, leading to erosion and ulcers of the gastric mucosa, and in severe cases, it can lead to gastric cancer.

Especially eating fried, grilled, and pan-fried foods is more risky!

In addition, long-term irregular meals, high intake of oil and salt, smoking and drinking are all risk factors for cancer.

5. Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori is the only type of microorganism that can survive stomach acid and is classified as a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.

It can initiate the process of "normal gastric mucosa-chronic non-atrophic gastritis-atrophic gastritis-atypical hyperplasia-gastric cancer".

In my country, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori is as high as 59%, which means that 3 out of every 5 people are infected. What's more frightening is that it is contagious.

6. Someone in your family has had stomach cancer

Medically proven, cancer has genetic factors.

Generally speaking, people over 40 years old are at high risk of gastric cancer, but people with a family history may develop the disease 10 years earlier or even earlier.