Chewing betel nut is an ancient custom that prevails in Southeast Asia, and many people have a long-term habit of chewing betel nut in Hunan, Taiwan, Hainan and other places on the mainland.
The fruit of betel nut is oblong and as large as a walnut, and most Hainanese prefer to chew fresh betel nut, while Hunan people prefer to chew processed dried fruit.
However, many people have said after chewing betel nut for the first time:
"After eating, my chest is so tight that I'm going to suffocate, can this thing really be eaten?"
"After chewing, the whole person is not good!" The throat was like being choked by someone, suffocating and breathless..."
"It's bitter and astringent, like chewing wood, it's so hard to eat!"
The feeling of chewing betel nut is not good, but in fact, in the mainland, there are more than 60 million Chinese people chewing non-stop, in some parts of the south, the streets and alleys can be found everywhere betel nut sales, people have to chew three or five pieces of anything, the more chewy the more flavorful.
According to the information released by the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions of people in the world have the habit of chewing betel nut, and betel nut is gradually becoming the "fourth major hobby" after tobacco, alcohol and caffeine foods in the world.
Why do people like to chew betel nut?
In Hainan, people are very particular about the way they eat betel nuts, they will first slice the betel nuts, then use the paste made of shell powder as a seasoning, roll up the leaves and then put them in their mouths to chew.
The betel nut tastes bitter when first introduced, with a slight irritation of sweetness and spicyness, and then it will be red-eared and dizzy, like a drunk.
Chewing betel nut not only makes people have a slightly drunken euphoria, but also can refresh the mind, refresh the mind, feel energetic, and play a little anti-cold and anti-hunger effect.
More importantly, chewing betel nut will have a certain addiction, once tried several times, it will make people want to eat more and more, can not escape.
Earlier advertisements about betel nuts were various, and there were goji berries added to the betel nuts and packaged as "health betel nuts", which made people love it like life and chew it addictively.
This is because the betel nut fruit contains betel nut alkali, which can make people hot, excited, and addictive. In the end, eating betel nut is not about eating taste, but eating feeling.
It can be said that betel nut chewing is a stimulant and an addictive substance, but many people do not know the true face behind betel nut: it is a carcinogen, which can be called a "soft drug".
Internationally recognized "carcinogenic poison fruit"
As early as 2003, the International Center for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed betel nut as a first-class carcinogen, that is, it has a clear carcinogenicity to humans.
IARC is an authority affiliated with the World Health Organization that specializes in various types of cancers and has strict criteria for determining first-class carcinogens.
IARC lists "betel nut fruit" and "betel nut chewing block" as a first-class cancer substance with arsenic cream and tobacco, and studies have shown that long-term chewing of betel nut will significantly increase oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) and increase the incidence of oral cancer.
Experts say oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic disease that can invade any part of the mouth and is also a type of precancerous lesion.
In 2009, at the World Congress of the International Oral Oncology Society held in Toronto, Canada, a number of research reports also reiterated that chewing betel nut causes oral cancer and revealed its cancer mechanism.
In fact, researchers in Japan and the United States have also confirmed that betel nut is carcinogenic in many animal experiments.
According to the data, the carcinogenicity of betel nut is mainly due to two factors:
On the one hand, betel nut alkali, betel nut and other substances in betel nut are decomposed into some nitrosamines after chewing, which is potentially carcinogenic. If you chew betel nut at the same time, but also love tobacco, carcinogenicity is stronger.
Studies have shown that when betel nut and tobacco are consumed together, the toxic substances in saliva will be significantly increased, which has a significant destructive effect on processes such as cellular DNA synthesis.
On the other hand, betel nut is relatively hard, when chewing, betel nut fiber will wear out the mouth, so that the oral mucosa is in a long-term damaged state, oral mucosa and betel nut contained in the alkaloid reaction, the risk of oral cancer increased greatly.
This is also why most people who chew betel nut have gum and periodontal problems, and even "rotten mouth", hard, sour, hot, cold can not eat.
What's even more frightening is that people who chew betel nut are about 20 times more likely to develop oral cancer than the average person.
Betel nut, internationally recognized as the "carcinogenic fruit", has been controlled in many countries or regions, such as:
The transportation of betel nuts between states is strictly prohibited in the United States;
l Directly ban the sale of betel nut products in Canada;
India requires that the betel nut produced must be labelled with obvious harmful labels;
Turkey recognizes betel nut as a "drug"!
"Betel nut is harmful to health", almost has been a consensus, tens of millions of People chew non-stop, do not know that this is their own health "time bomb".
In 2021, the mainland finally "gave a cruel hand" to betel nut, and the relevant departments issued a notice prohibiting the use of radio and television and online audio-visual programs to publicize and promote betel nut and its products.
Some people wonder, just a betel nut, is it necessary to make such a big move?
How harmful is the "soft drug" betel nut?
In the documentary report "The 'Face Cutter' in the Betel Nut Kingdom", the pain of oral cancer patients who are "regurgitated" by betel nut is described:
"Because of oral cancer, they had their tongues cut off, they had their gums cut off, vicious surgical scars tore through their faces, and the bad news of cancer announced their deaths..."
This type of patient is usually called "face cutter", not only suffers from pain, but also leaves obvious scars after surgery, often after being killed by betel nut before waking up: If life can be restarted, I will never eat betel nut!
However, the bitter lessons of the people who came over still could not wake up those who were addicted to betel nuts and did not listen to the advice! Some people are arguing that chewing betel nut and oral cancer are just accidental coincidences, and some people are unaware that chewing betel nut can cause cancer...
Betel nut from the mouth, "cancer" out of the mouth, there is enough scientific evidence to prove that betel nut is a carcinogen, long-term chewing of betel nut, will increase the chance of oral cancer.
People who like to chew betel nut, when they will be "regurgitated" by betel nut, no one knows.
For the sake of good health, sincerely warn everyone: stop loss in time, stop chewing betel nut anymore!