Author: Cai Shaolin, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University
On September 10, singer Fu Song died of oral cancer at the age of 36. Fu Song participated in Hunan Satellite TV's "Happy Male Voice" in 2007 and officially debuted in the top 20 in Changsha.
Fu Song is a native of Hunan and loves to chew betel nut. In 2021, he was diagnosed with oral cancer due to a facial tumor, and then he was admitted to the hospital for treatment, he released a video to share his anti-cancer experience, after a year of treatment, it has not improved.
In April 2022, he shared on his personal Douyin account: I only hope to live simply. Please stay away from staying up late and stay away from betel nuts.
In June 2022, Fu Song revealed that his oral cancer recurred for the third time and also showed his wounds to netizens. He bitterly stated that his greatest happiness was to hope that the wound would not hurt at night so that he could get a good night's sleep. In addition, he also advised netizens who like to chew betel nut not to hold a fluke mentality and stay away from betel nut.
Areca catechu
It is a dried mature seed of betel nut in the palm family. It has the effect of insecticidal elimination, gas, water, and malaria interception. Indications for the treatment of intestinal parasitic diseases, food stagnation, diarrhea after severe diarrhea, edema, beriberi pain, malaria.
Betel nut mainly contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, fatty acids, terpenes and steroids and other chemical components. Alkaloids are mainly betel nut, as the main pharmacological active ingredient of betel nut, betel nut has many clear efficacy in the clinic, but also shows some toxic effects, but also can reduce the body's immunity, indirectly increase the probability of carcinogenesis.
Therefore, as early as 2003, betel nut was identified as a first-class carcinogen by the International Center for Research on Cancer. In 2012, betel nut-related betel nut betel nuts, tobacco-containing betel nut chews, and tobacco-free betel nut chews were also listed in the World Health Organization's List of Class 1 carcinogens.
Betel nut is a "double-edged sword"
Its positive edge is its medicinal value.
Clinically, betel nut can treat arthritis, migraine, glaucoma, digestive dysfunction and parasite elimination and other diseases, and betel nut related formulas are also used to treat dyspepsia, antidepressant, treatment of gingivitis, etc.;
The counter-edge is addictive to cancer.
The harm of chewing betel nut is more terrible than imagined!!!
1. Oral toxicity
Long-term chewing of betel nut, the teeth wear out severely, so that the cheeks widen, and increase the temporomandibular joint weight bearing, causing joint bounce, pain and other symptoms, in severe cases can also lead to joint disc perforation.
Because betel nut is cytotoxic to a variety of cells such as fibroblasts and human keratinocytes in the oral cavity, betel nut chewing leads to oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) by activating the expression of heme oxygenase.
Oral submucosal fibrosis is the main cause of oral cancer lesions, and OSF will make the oral mucosa pale, blood loss and accompanied by mucosal pain burning and other symptoms, severe can lead to chewers open mouth obvious restriction, and even develop oral cancer.
In addition, betel nut can also affect the proliferation cycle of oral mucosal epithelial cells, fibroblasts, keratinocytes and venous endothelial cells, and can induce their apoptosis, which in turn affects cell proliferation, induces genetic mutations and participates in the occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
In recent years, epidemiological investigations have shown that long-term chewing of betel nut can lead to submucosal fibrosis of the oral cavity, and the occurrence of oral cancer is positively related to chewing betel nut and residence time. Moreover, long-term chewing of betel nut makes the coarse fibers of the betel nut shell itself and the hard fruit core repeatedly rub against the oral mucosa, which will also cause various oral diseases such as OSF and oral cancer.
2. Reproductive toxicity
It has been reported that chewing betel nut can have a certain toxic effect on the human reproductive system.
For pregnant women who chew betel nut, the probability of adverse pregnancy reactions such as miscarriage during pregnancy, premature birth and low body mass of newborns is higher than that of ordinary pregnant women.
In men, chewing betel nut can lead to a decrease in testicular stromal cells and a thickening of the diameter of the curved seminal duct in men, affecting sperm growth and maturation.
3. Neurotoxicity
A large number of studies have shown that betel nut can have an impact on the central and autonomic nervous systems, chewing betel nut can make people have a slight sense of excitement and happiness, with a certain degree of addiction.
Chewing betel nut can temporarily enhance sympathetic nerve activity and has a certain impact on the human autonomic nervous system.
It has also been reported that betel nut chewers will experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression, exhaustion and inability to concentrate after 1 to 2 days of trying to quit betel nut, which indicates that long-term chewing of betel nut will become dependent on it, and when betel nut chewing block is used with morphine, it will also strengthen the addiction of morphine.
4. Other toxicity
Studies have shown that chewing betel nut can induce and exacerbate attacks of bronchial asthma.
People who chew betel nut for a long time experience mild airway hyperreactivity, which is significantly higher than in long-term smokers. Moreover, the proportion of obesity in betel nut-chewers increases, and the risk factors for metabolic syndrome increase accordingly.
In addition, chewing betel nut can also induce tubular interstitial fibrosis. Leads to immunosuppression, leading to an increased risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients without hepatitis B/C infection.
For health, stay away from betel nuts!
In recent years, with the vigorous spread of betel nut culture, stuttering betel nut has changed from the treatment of Li Shizhen's era to the tide of entertainment, followed by the "counter-edge" of betel nut, and more and more patients with oral cancer.
Therefore, in 2021, the State Administration of Radio and Television issued a notice to stop publicizing and promoting betel nut and its products, aiming to warn everyone to pay attention to the harm of chewing betel nut.
Reduce the health hazards of betel nut, we are in action! Although it is not explicitly prohibited, for your own health, please quit the habit of chewing betel nut for a long time! Especially people with oral diseases, they should quit as soon as possible.
Review expert: Jin Weijun, deputy director of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University
The above is the original work of the volunteers of the "Drug Safety Cooperation Alliance", if you reprint, please indicate the author and source!
【Medicine Shield Public Welfare】PSM Pharmaceutical Shield Public Welfare (public number: PSMChina), a public welfare organization jointly initiated and established by the China Over-the-Counter Drug Association, the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, etc., gathers resources, gathers strength, and promotes the safety of public medication.