[Fat Bear Science] Saving, lazy, afraid, and acting, cancer likes these four words the most. The correct approach is...

Asking for trouble, looking for trouble, and suffering from one's own actions all refer to the fact that in daily life we ​​take the initiative to find trouble for ourselves. In fact, tumors are often "self-inflicted". Everyone is afraid of cancer, but sometimes cancer is really caused by yourself.

Although tumors are diseases caused by multiple factors, including congenital and acquired factors. We often cannot avoid or change the congenital factors such as heredity, gene mutations, and endocrine factors; however, more than 90% of cancers are caused by acquired factors. We can help keep away from tumors by controlling acquired human factors. By eliminating or reducing the impact of related risk factors, about 40% of new cancer cases can be prevented.

Healthy and regular living habits and lifestyles can effectively prevent cancer. Bad living habits often lead to the development of tumors, especially those related to "saving", "laziness", "fear" and "acting".

Expert Profile

■

Li Yongsheng

Director of the Department of Oncology, Director of the Teaching and Research Section, Chief Physician, Professor, Doctor of Medicine, Postdoctoral Fellow of Harvard Medical School, and Doctoral Supervisor. Deputy Leader of the Second Review Expert Oncology Group of the National Natural Science Foundation, Expert and Review Committee Member of the National Natural Science Foundation Key Project Guidelines, Winner of Chongqing Outstanding Youth Science Fund, Academic and Technical Leader of Chongqing, Leading Talent of Chongqing Talent Innovation, Leading Expert of Chongqing Youth Expert Studio, and Head of Chongqing University Innovation Research Group.

Focusing on lipid metabolism and tumor immunity research, he has profound attainments in molecular targeted therapy, tumor metabolism and immunotherapy, palliative care, and adverse reaction control.

Clinic hours: Friday morning, Wednesday morning (specialist clinic for tumors, rare diseases and difficult diseases)

■

Zeng Xianghua

Zeng Xianghua, attending physician of the Department of Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University, Doctor of Medicine.

He has been engaged in basic research and clinical work on lung cancer and liver cancer for a long time, and his main research direction is tumor immunity and targeted therapy.

1

Province

At first glance, "saving" seems to be a good habit, but excessive "saving" is an absolute health killer.

save money

In life, we often see discounted fruits and vegetables. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. These discounted fresh products may be wilting or have been frozen in the refrigerator for a long time. The degradation rate of some anti-cancer substances and nutrients contained in them can reach 75%, and some substances harmful to health may also be produced. In addition, these wilted products may also be rotten and deteriorate.

The most common mold contamination is 68 times more toxic than arsenic and is listed as a Class I carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Even if you cut off the visible moldy part "cleanly", the carcinogenic toxins produced by the mold have already spread all over the fruit. Therefore, moldy food should never be eaten.

Correct approach: Try to go to the market in the morning, when the food is more complete and fresh. It is best to buy meat products such as pork, beef and mutton that have been slaughtered on the same day, and pay attention to the production date. Buy fresh live fish. Refuse overnight soy products. Vegetables and fruits should be picked on the same day, so that the nutritional content is the best.

Save food

Frugality has always been a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and this is especially true of many older generations, who may have been hungry and cold since childhood. Leftovers that are not finished are often kept in the refrigerator and eaten the next day or even the day after, until they become spoiled and inedible. Many people have even developed the habit of eating leftovers, thinking that they are more delicious than fresh meals.

When we were about to throw away the excess rice at home, the older generation would come to stop us and scold us for not knowing how to live and not being frugal. They were reluctant to throw away cooking oil that had been stored for a long time, especially lard refined in the countryside.

Overnight dishes not only cause a large amount of nutrient loss, but also the longer the dishes are stored, the greater the possibility of microbial contamination. Even if refrigerated at 4°C, some cold-resistant bacteria (such as Listeria) and molds will multiply in large numbers. The nitrite content in overnight dishes is higher than that in freshly prepared meals, and the higher the room temperature and the longer they are stored, the higher the nitrite content. Nitrite can be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body through the action of gastric acid, inducing gastric cancer and other diseases.

After edible oils are oxidized and rancid, they are often contaminated with aflatoxin, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of liver cancer. Old rice is also prone to produce a large amount of aflatoxin.

Correct approach: throw away old rice and old oil when necessary, and don't make a big mistake because of a small loss. Try to cook and eat vegetables and fruits immediately, which is safe, delicious and nutritious. If you have to have leftovers, you should also pay attention to the following points:

||||

Power saving

The kitchen range hood is a must-have product. However, some people, especially those who came to the city from rural areas, have become accustomed to the smell of oil smoke in rural areas. In order to save electricity, they are afraid of trouble. Even when they are stir-frying, they don’t like to turn on the range hood, which causes oil smoke to fly everywhere and their families inhale a lot of harmful gases. But what they don’t know is that if you cook in a closed environment without turning on the range hood for only one hour, it is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes. It can be seen that this way of saving electricity is not advisable and will cause great harm to the lungs. Data shows that people who are exposed to oil smoke for a long time have a 2-3 times higher risk of lung cancer than ordinary people! This is also one of the important reasons why women are prone to lung cancer.

Correct approach: When buying a range hood, choose one with strong suction. Whenever you are cooking, be sure to turn on the range hood, and open the windows for ventilation during stir-frying.

2

lazy

Too lazy to exercise

In recent years, a term has become popular - lazy cancer, which refers to a person who is hopelessly lazy. The first to blame is laziness. The modern fast-paced life, mortgages, car loans, pensions, and child education are oppressing a large number of office workers, who are either at work or on the way to work. As a result, we often neglect our health and lack the necessary exercise.

Physical exercise not only helps to lose weight or maintain weight, but also has a certain effect on cancer prevention. Exercise can improve the antioxidant function of body cells, remove excess free radicals in the body, promote the discharge of harmful substances, and reduce the chance of cancer. Exercise can also regulate the body's immune system, increase the number of specific immune cells, improve the body's immune resistance, and prevent the occurrence and development of tumor cells.

Modern office workers often sit for long periods of time and are even too lazy to go to the toilet. In addition, they usually prefer a high-fat, low-fiber diet, which slows down intestinal motility and prolongs the time that feces stimulate the intestinal mucosa. As a result, the intestinal autoimmune barrier function decreases and the risk of colorectal cancer increases by about 44%.

People who exercise for more than 30 minutes a day have a significantly lower risk of cancer, especially breast and colon cancer. Of course, the incidence of other cancers will also decrease, including prostate cancer, lung cancer and endometrial cancer.

Brisk walking for 24 minutes a day is associated with a 61% lower risk of death! Even a study in the British Medical Journal pointed out that even washing dishes can extend life! Therefore, people who don’t have time to exercise after get off work can choose to help their parents and wives wash dishes, which is both loving and healthy.

Correct approach: It is best to go out and exercise. Exercising in the sun (don't go out when it is too hot) can stimulate the immune system to fight cancer cells through the production of vitamin D. Even if you don't have the time or conditions to exercise, walking is recommended. When walking, keep your head up and your chest out and walk with big strides.

3

Afraid

Fear of medical examination

Young people always think that they are too young to refuse medical examinations. Older people think that they are not sick and do not need to spend "waste money" on medical examinations. "Cancer starts with Internet searches." "As long as I don't have a medical examination, I am not sick." In addition to laziness, the deeper reason is that everyone is afraid of discovering diseases and encountering incurable diseases. But because of fear, we may miss the best time for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. For most cancers, early detection and treatment can achieve long-term clinical benefits.

For certain high-risk groups in life, some special examination items can be added. For example, people who smoke a lot for a long time can have a chest CT examination. People with a family history of chronic enteritis or gastrointestinal cancer can have a gastroscopy. Men who smoke and drink for a long time and have throat discomfort can consider bronchoscopy.

As the saying goes, "Minor illnesses keep coming back, so major illnesses won't happen." When we have minor illnesses or pains, we go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment, so that we can fully assess our body condition. It is even possible to find "precancerous lesions" and then nip cancer in the bud and get a good prognosis. If you don't go for physical examinations and ignore your health, life may eventually give you a big "fake".

Correct approach: It is recommended to go to a regular hospital for a physical examination regularly. If conditions permit, you can choose to go to a specialized hospital for cancer screening. If you have high-risk factors for cancer, you can focus on screening as appropriate. Cancer prevention is always better than treatment.

4

do

Staying up late for a long time

Chasing dramas, playing games, watching videos... young people self-deprecatingly say: staying up the latest nights and applying the most expensive facial masks. In fact, no matter how expensive the facial mask is, it can't save the body from the damage caused by staying up late. What you are staying up late for is not the night, but your health.

Staying up late and going to bed late for a long time disrupts the body's balance, leading to endocrine system disorders, abnormal cell metabolism, etc., which can easily induce the occurrence of diseases and even tumors.

Correct approach: Try to turn off the lights and go to bed before 11pm, and get up at 7am. If conditions permit, you can take a half-hour lunch break.

Drinking and smoking without restraint

The World Health Organization has long made it clear that alcohol and tobacco are Class I carcinogens and are high-risk factors for many cancers, including lung cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer. Many young people drink and smoke without restraint, which can cause serious harm to their bodies.

When alcohol (ethanol) enters the human body, it is first converted into acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase, and then converted into acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the second step, and then decomposed into carbon dioxide and water. Acetaldehyde is like formaldehyde in home decoration pollution. After drinking a lot of alcohol, a large amount of acetaldehyde will accumulate in the human body. It will have toxic effects on many tissues and organs, such as causing cell DNA damage and carcinogenesis. When acetaldehyde accumulates in the body, blood vessels will soon dilate, manifesting as redness all over the body, especially on the face. Therefore, people who get redness on their faces when drinking should drink less, or even not drink at all.

Smokers have a 10-25 times higher risk of lung cancer. The longer you smoke and the more you smoke, the higher the risk. Medical evidence shows that each cigarette releases more than 4,000 chemical substances and billions of particles when it burns, including 69 carcinogens such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, ammonia, and benzene. These harmful substances are inhaled into the human body and adhere to the tracheal wall and alveoli, which can easily lead to tracheitis, emphysema, and even lung cancer. Smoking is not only harmful to your own health, but also to the health of those around you.

The right approach: quit smoking and drinking. If you must drink, drink on an empty stomach and in moderation; if you smoke, quit if you can, but if you can't... smoke less.

Irregular meals

The old saying goes: Don't eat after the meal time, don't eat at the wrong time. It tells us not to eat after the meal time, and not to eat before the meal time. But in modern society, people live and work at a fast pace, and they have irregular meals and eat whatever they want.

Eating heavy oily and spicy food, eating late at night, eating fast, and skipping meals are very harmful to the stomach, causing gastric secretion disorders and gastric mucosal damage. Over time, it is easy to develop stomach problems or even stomach cancer. If the diet contains pickled food and leftovers for a long time, it will be even more dangerous.

Correct approach: Eat three meals a day on time, eat a balanced diet, and be nutritious. During meals, chew slowly and eat until you are 80% full.

Finally, I hope everyone can live and work healthily, improve bad living habits, and never save time when you should be good to yourself. Don't be lazy when you should be diligent. A healthy person has hope; a hopeful person has everything!

Text/Fat Bear

Picture/partially from the Internet (please contact us to delete if there is any infringement)

Audit/Oncology

Member of China Medical We-Media Alliance

Science Popularization China Co-construction Base

Chongqing Science Popularization Base/Chongqing Health Promotion Hospital

Chongqing Science and Technology Communication and Popularization Project

National Health Commission National Basic Public Health Service Health Literacy Project