"Smoking and drinking", "working overtime and staying up late" and "overnight meals" can all cause cancer. Are these real?

It is often mentioned in news reports that some people get cancer because of smoking, drinking, working overtime and staying up late, eating overnight dishes, etc. Are these reports true? Although many news stories may exaggerate the facts, such as a report that a woman has been admitted to the ICU because of drinking milk tea every day, or a man has got some kind of disease because of taking out food every day, these reports often exaggerate the relationship between a single eating habit and serious consequences. But in fact, eating habits and lifestyles have a great influence on diseases and cancer, which is also one of the important issues that need people's attention.

Specifically, smoking and drinking, working overtime and staying up late, eating overnight and other factors do increase the risk of certain cancers. Smoking is one of the main causes of lung cancer, and alcoholism will increase the risk of various cancers such as oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer and breast cancer. Staying up late for a long time and irregular work and rest will destroy the biological clock of the human body, which may lead to the decline of immune system function and increase the risk of cancer. In addition, carcinogens and environmental pollutants in food may also increase the risk of cancer.

So what is cancer?

Cancer is a multifactorial disease. Common cancers include lung cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Cancer is characterized by its difficulty in early detection. Once it is found that most of them have entered the advanced stage, the difficulty of treatment and the cure rate will be greatly reduced. Therefore, early screening and early treatment are the key to prevent and control cancer.

Why is cancer likely to be advanced once it is discovered?

In the early stage of cancer, the symptoms may be very hidden, even without any obvious symptoms. Here are some factors that make cancer difficult to find at an early stage:

Lack of symptoms: Many cancers have no obvious symptoms in the early stage, so it is difficult for patients to realize their illness, thus delaying the best time for treatment.

Lack of screening: lack of regular physical examination and screening is another important factor that is difficult to find in the early stage of cancer. The early symptoms of cancer are not obvious, and screening can help doctors find cancer in time and treat it.

Highly malignant: Some types of cancer are highly malignant and aggressive, and progress rapidly, such as lung cancer and gastric cancer. Once the symptoms appear, they often progress to the late stage.

Therefore, it is suggested that people maintain a healthy lifestyle, have regular physical examinations and screening, and find out the lesions in time so that they can be treated before the cancer progresses to the advanced stage.

What are the risk factors for early-onset cancer?

The risk factors of different types of cancer are also different. For example, risk factors for breast cancer include early menarche, use of oral contraceptives, late childbearing or no childbearing, no history of breastfeeding, high body mass index, BRCA 1/2 gene mutation, smoking and drinking. Risk factors of colorectal cancer include high body mass index, sedentary and unhealthy diet. Risk factors of endometrial cancer include obesity, menstrual disorder, infertility and family history of cancer. Esophageal adenocarcinoma is related to obesity, smoking and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Gastric cancer is related to Helicobacter pylori infection, drinking, obesity and family history of cancer.

How to reduce the risk of cancer?

Reducing the risk of cancer requires comprehensive consideration of factors such as diet, living habits and environment. Here are some specific suggestions:

1. Healthy diet: eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, eat grains and beans in moderation, and reduce the intake of high-calorie and high-fat foods. At the same time, try to avoid eating overnight meals, moldy foods and highly carcinogenic foods such as flue-cured tobacco, pickling and frying.

2. Healthy living habits: ensure adequate sleep time and reasonable work and rest arrangements to avoid overwork and mental stress. At the same time, quit smoking and limit alcohol, do not smoke second-hand smoke, and reduce exposure to air pollution and harmful substances.

3. Timely cancer screening: Regular cancer screening can find potential cancer early and improve the chances of successful treatment. Common screening methods include mammography, colposcopy, gastrointestinal endoscopy and cervical smear.

4. Pay attention to personal hygiene: keep personal hygiene clean, avoid being infected with carcinogenic viruses such as human papillomavirus, and reduce the risk of related cancer.

To sum up, the risk of cancer can be effectively reduced through reasonable diet, healthy living habits, timely screening and attention to personal hygiene.