Typical description of so-called “anti-cancer food”: “scientific research has found that a certain food contains certain anti-cancer ingredients” “to reduce the concentration of carcinogenic substances” so-called research, most of them are fabrications. A few of them are based on foreign research, but they are often taken out of context, partially magnified and ignored in terms of dosage, giving people the impression that eating more of something can prevent cancer. In fact, many of these claims currently circulating are only some experimental research reports, from a certain food to extract anti-cancer ingredients, through animal experiments found a certain anti-cancer effect. However, most of them are only animal experiments, and people may have to consume tons of food to get the effect, and these conclusions may not be equally valid when used on people. Besides, cancer is a complex process involving multiple factors, so it is not reliable to expect to eat certain foods alone to fight cancer. If you think about it, has anyone ever verified such statements? Most of these statements are both uncritical and unscientific. Many of them use the marketing method – to fabricate a seemingly high concept for you first, and then sell you this thing as good. You should not be too superstitious about the claims of cancer-preventing foods. It is better to focus on what to eat to prevent cancer than to correct cancer-causing dietary habits. While smoking and drinking, people are enthusiastically looking for “cancer-preventing and anti-cancer” foods or secret recipes, trying to rely on these “cancer-preventing foods” to save their unhealthy – there are few people like this. Compared with the concept of “anti-cancer food” which is yet to be proven, it is better to correct some dietary habits that are clearly cancer-causing, such as not eating moldy food, eating less pickled food, eating cooked food, quitting smoking and drinking, etc., which are more effective in preventing cancer. It has been proved that some bad dietary habits are closely related to the occurrence of cancer: people who eat grains contaminated by mold are prone to liver cancer; people who chew betel nut for a long time are prone to oral cancer; people who like to eat hot food and swallow too fast are prone to esophageal cancer and so on. Here are some common cancer-prone foods and eating habits: Moldy foods Aspergillus flavus can easily breed in peanuts, corn and other seed foods. Its production of aflatoxin is a highly toxic and highly toxic substance, which was classified as a class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 1993. There are reports that the same dose of aflatoxin is 4000 times more carcinogenic than benzo(a)pyrene and 75 times more carcinogenic than dimethylnitrosamine. Aspergillus flavus is one of the most direct causes of liver cancer. So food at home must be dry and preserved, and moldy food must be discarded, otherwise it is the same as eating aflatoxin for yourself. Fried and barbecued food Barbecued food, smoked food, fried food and other food containing benzo(a)pyrene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, especially when the processing environment is poor and the processing method is incorrect. During barbecue production, meat is directly grilled at high temperatures, and the fat that is decomposed drips on the charcoal and then combines with the proteins in the meat to produce benzo(a)pyrene. Frequent consumption of barbecue food contaminated with benzopyrene will result in the accumulation of carcinogens in the body. Pickled foods Pickled foods such as salted eggs, pickled vegetables and salted fish are often processed with uneven quality, and if nitrite exceeds the standard its metabolism produces dimethyl nitrite, which can be transformed into carcinogenic substance dimethyl ammonium nitrite in the body. Overnight cooked vegetables, repeatedly boiled water also contains ammonium nitrite, etc. Also try to eat less. Excessive nitrite intake is considered a risk factor for stomach and esophageal cancers. High-fat diet The so-called Western diet high in fat, high in protein and low in fiber is considered to be related to the occurrence of rectal cancer. High-fat and high-protein foods can increase methylcholanthrene in the stool, which contributes to the occurrence of colorectal cancer. Another consequence of high-fat diet is obesity. Many studies have reported that the incidence of tumors in overweight and obese people is significantly higher than that of people with normal weight, and obesity also brings a series of problems such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and bone and joint diseases. Dietary habits People who like to eat hot food in Hebei, Chaoshan and Chongqing are prone to damage esophagus and increase the risk of esophageal cancer; people who like to eat raw fish porridge in Guangdong and Guangxi are prone to liver schistosomiasis, and long-term chronic infection with liver schistosomiasis is closely related to the occurrence of bile duct cancer. In conclusion, diet is one of the important factors affecting the development of cancer, and a reasonable diet can play a role in preventing the occurrence of cancer. Avoiding cancer-causing foods in our daily life can reduce the likelihood of cancer, which I think is the scientific cancer prevention diet, rather than relying on certain foods, drugs or health supplements to achieve the “anti-cancer effect”. High-fat, pickled, barbecued and smoked foods are not yet labeled as “carcinogenic”, but two points should be noted: 1) control the frequency and amount of intake; 2) ensure the regularity of production and processing. However, moldy peanut corn with aflatoxin food can be labeled as “carcinogenic”, tobacco, alcohol, betel nut and other foods that have clearly increased the risk of cancer should also be decisively away. There are many and few of these rumored “anti-cancer, anti-cancer” foods that are really effective, not to mention the fabricated ones that cannot be verified one by one. The food we eat now is mostly selected from thousands of years of human history, and what can be preserved must have its nutritional value. There is no unified gold standard for diet, different foods have different nutritional values, so there is no need to chase after the so-called “anti-cancer foods”.