Recently, a hepatobiliary gastroenterologist shared a case saying that a man likes to drink soup and tea on weekdays, but neglected a key factor. When eating, he hurt the esophagus, caused chest pain, and risked developing esophageal cancer. The doctor pointed out that eating 4 kinds of food often can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and should be carefully avoided when eating.
Drinking soup burns the esophagus and risks esophageal cancer
Taiwanese hepatobiliary and gastroenterologist Zhan Yixue is in hisFacebook pageAccording to the article, a male patient and his wife had a physical examination earlier and said they often felt burning pain in the chest, while his wife had a long-term cough. After examination, it was found that both of them suffered from common acid reflux, but the man’s esophageal mucosa was whitish in color, the texture of blood vessels was not obvious, and there were signs of esophageal burns.
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The woman’s esophagus is pink, and the condition is normal, but the man’s esophageal mucosa is whitish, the blood vessel texture is not obvious, and there are signs of esophageal burns.
Drinking soup and ignoring one thing is easy to hurt the esophagus and may become esophageal cancer
The man said that he usually likes to drink hot soup, hot tea, and love to eat hot pot, especially spicy hot pot, and these eating habits will cause damage to the esophagus. Dr. Zhan pointed out that many people like to drink hot soup and eat hot pot, but if the food is too hot when eating, it is easy to burn the esophagus. At this time, if you eat other hot pot foods or drink carbonated drinks, alcohol and other drinks, it will stimulate the secretion of gastric acid in large quantities, relax the cardia sphincter, cause acid reflux, and cause secondary damage to the esophagus.
Dr. Zhan also reminded that the following 4 types of food are likely to cause esophageal cancer and should be eaten as little as possible:
1. Boiling water
2. Hot drinks
3. Hot pot
4. Preserved or processed foods
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WHO: Hot drinks at 65 degrees Celsius are carcinogenic factors
Dr. Zhan pointed out that the WorldHealth Organization has identified hot drinks over 65 degrees Celsius as a factor that can cause esophageal cancer. If you let the abnormal eating habits go, acid reflux will deteriorate into Barrett’s esophagus, which will increase the risk of esophageal cancer. He listed 9 risk factors for esophageal cancer:
1. Smoking
2. Drink alcohol
3. Suffering from acid reflux or Barrett’s esophagus
4. Like to drink hot drinks and hot soup
5. Love to eat pickled or processed food
6. Eat less fruits and vegetables
7. Abnormal esophageal motility
8. Older
9. Have esophageal cancer gene
Further reading: Esophageal cancer causes 4 high-risk eating habits
The Hospital Authority pointed out that the cause of esophageal cancer has not yet been determined, but it may be related to the following six factors:
Aged 60 or above, male
1. Smoking
2. Alcoholism
3. Love to eat pickled food
4. Love to eat smoked food
5. Drink hot drinks and soups for a long time
6. Acid Reflux
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Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer Chest Pain Difficulty Swallowing Higher Risk
According to the information of the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, the first symptom of most patients with esophageal cancer is progressive dysphagia, but patients may not be aware of it or change their eating habits unconsciously. Early and late symptoms of esophageal cancer are as follows:
Early symptoms of esophageal cancer: Difficulty swallowing dry and hard solid food, coughing, chest and abdomen discomfort when eating, pain.
If the tumor appears in the upper part of the esophagus (near the throat), the patient will feel discomfort in the throat or feel a foreign body when swallowing. The tumor appears in the middle of the esophagus (near the chest), and the patient feels retrosternal pain or back discomfort when eating. The tumor appears in the lower part of the esophagus ( connected to the stomach), the patient will have abdominal distension following eating
Later stage symptoms of esophageal cancer: Difficulty swallowing will intensify, gradually can only eat semi-liquid food, and finally may not be able to swallow even liquid and water. Esophageal tumors disrupt normal stomach digestion, and patients experience nausea and even vomiting and food reflux.
The Hospital Authority pointed out that if you have difficulty swallowing food, have pain, burning sensation, or feel that there are foreign objects in the throat, chest and abdomen near the esophagus, although this is not necessarily caused by esophageal cancer, you should also consult a family doctor. If necessary, the family doctor will refer everyone to a specialist for treatment.
Further Reading: Acid Reflux Treatment + Prevention Methods
Acid Reflux Treatments
According to the Labor Department of Hong Kong, there are two main ways to treat gastric acid reflux: medication, which uses appropriate drugs to control gastric acid secretion; surgery, which is suitable for severe cases.
Is eating right now the way to prevent acid reflux?
Dr. Jiang Kunjun from Taiwan lists the methods to prevent acid reflux, which means that we can start with diet and dressing habits:
1. Eat bland foods
2. Eat more fiber
3. Eat less sweets and irritating foods
4. Acid reflux patients should not drink coffee on an empty stomach in the morning
5. Adopt “dry and wet separation” eating order
Drink soup first and then eat solid food. Never eat soup with a mouthful of rice. Mixing soup and rice will make the food volume expand, increase the pressure on the stomach, and make acid reflux more likely.
6. It is best to stand and rest for a while following eating
