Do you know? The water you drink every day may be a carcinogen.
No, I'm not talking about boiling water, overnight water, or yin-yang water, which doesn't cause cancer, although it has some health effects.
I'm talking about a kind of "carcinogenic water" named by the World Health Organization, which has a temperature of more than 65 degrees Celsius, is a class 2A carcinogen, and has sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animal experiments, and it can also be carcinogenic to humans. Guess what it is?
The answer may surprise you, because it's the hot drink we usually drink. Yes, you heard it right, hot drinks can cause cancer.
Why do hot drinks cause cancer?
You may think that hot drinks are just different in the temperature of the water, why do they cause cancer? This is not unreasonable, because the water itself is harmless, and hot drinks have some benefits, such as warming the stomach, eliminating fatigue, and promoting blood circulation.
But, you know what? The higher the temperature of a hot drink, the more harmful it is. This is because when the temperature of water exceeds 65 degrees, it produces a phenomenon called "thermal injury", that is, water molecules can cause burns to mucosal tissues such as the esophagus, throat, and mouth, leading to the mutation and destruction of cells, thus increasing the risk of cancer.
This risk is not a one-time thing, but accumulates over time and gets higher and higher. According to a study by the World Health Organization, long-term consumption of hot beverages above 65 degrees increases the incidence of esophageal cancer by 1.8 times.
Esophageal cancer is a very scary cancer, with a five-year survival rate of only about 15%, which is one of the "terminal diseases" among cancers.
Can you imagine? The hot drinks you drink every day may be your "killer". So, how can you avoid the dangers of hot drinks? Take a look below.
How to avoid the harm of hot drinks?
The easiest way to avoid the dangers of hot drinks is not to drink too hot drinks. So, what temperature is too hot for a drink?
Generally speaking, the mucosal tissues of the human mouth and esophagus can withstand a maximum temperature of 60 degrees, beyond which burning and pain will be felt, and even blisters and ulcers will appear.
Therefore, when you drink drinks, you should pay attention to controlling the temperature, not more than 60 degrees, preferably below 50 degrees, which can not only maintain the aroma of the drink, but also protect your mucosal tissue.
There are some ways you can judge the temperature of a drink, such as trying it with your fingers or tongue, or measuring it with a thermometer, or using some smart cups to display the temperature.
In addition to controlling the temperature, there are other ways you can reduce the harm of hot drinks, such as:
1. Don't drink hot drinks on an empty stomach, drink after eating some food, which can reduce the irritation of hot drinks to the stomach, increase the protective layer of mucosal tissue, and reduce the possibility of thermal injury.
2. Don't drink hot drinks in one go, drink a small amount of them several times, so that the hot drinks can stay in the mouth and esophagus for a shorter time, reduce the degree of thermal damage, and gradually reduce the temperature of hot drinks to avoid overheating.
3. Don't just drink one hot drink, drink more different beverages, such as water, tea, juice, milk, etc., which can increase the nutrition and taste of the beverage, and can also dilute some harmful substances in the beverage, such as caffeine, theophylline, sugar, etc., to reduce their stimulation of mucosal tissues, and can also reduce some carcinogens in the beverage, such as nitrosamines, benzopyrene, etc., to reduce the risk of cancer.
How to choose a healthier way to drink water?
1. Drink water that suits your physique. Different people have different physiques, such as cold, dryness, peace, etc., so the nature of drinking water should also be suitable for their physique.
Generally speaking, people with a cold constitution are suitable for drinking warm, sweet, and moisturizing water, such as jujube water, wolfberry water, honey water, etc.; People with a hot constitution are suitable for drinking cool, moisturizing, and detoxifying water, such as chrysanthemum water, green tea water, lemon water, etc.; People with a peaceful constitution are suitable for drinking light, balanced, and blended water, such as plain water, light salt water, rice soup, etc.
2. Drink water rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that can resist free radical damage to cells, delay aging, and prevent cancer.
Some fruits, vegetables, tea, Chinese medicine, etc. are rich in antioxidants and can be used to soak in water to drink, such as apple water, tomato water, flower tea water, hawthorn water, etc.
These waters can not only provide water, but also vitamins, minerals, aromas, etc., adding to the pleasure and effect of drinking water.
3. Drink an appropriate amount of water. Water is an essential substance for the human body, but it should not be drunk in excess, otherwise it will cause water poisoning, cause headaches, nausea, dyspnea and other symptoms, and even endanger life.
Generally speaking, adults should drink about 1500-2000 ml of water per day, which is adjusted according to the individual's weight, exercise amount, climate and other factors.
Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water, and don't drink too much water at once, drink water in small amounts and many times to maintain the water balance in your body.
Epilogue:
Hot drinks are a type of "carcinogenic water" named by the World Health Organization, and its temperature can reach more than 65 degrees, which can cause thermal damage to our mucosal tissues and increase the risk of cancer.
In order to avoid the harm of hot drinks, we should pay attention to controlling the temperature of the drink, not more than 60 degrees, preferably below 50 degrees, and at the same time pay attention not to drink hot drinks on an empty stomach, do not drink hot drinks in one go, do not drink only one hot drink, drink more different drinks.
In addition to hot drinks, we should also pay attention to some other unhealthy drinking methods, such as drinking unclean water, drinking excessive water, drinking sugary water, etc., these drinking methods can also cause damage to our body and may even cause cancer.
We need to choose healthier ways to drink water, such as drinking clean water, drinking the right amount of water, drinking sugar-free water, etc., so as to protect our health and prevent cancer.