Helicobacter pylori infection is considered to be one of the important risk factors for chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric cancer, etc. Previously, the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization listed Helicobacter pylori as a "Class I carcinogen". The "Gastric Cancer Screening, Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment Program (2024 Edition)" also clearly points out that Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the main risk factors for gastric cancer.
However, in the context of eating with people who are also infected with H. pylori, why do some people get infected and others don't? A few days ago, a new study found that people who regularly eat this type of food have a significantly increased chance of being infected with Helicobacter pylori.
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Eat this kind of food often,
The chance of being infected with Helicobacter pylori is greatly increased
In April 2024, a study published in Food Science and Nutrition found that people who eat more "ultra-processed foods" in their daily diet have a higher chance of being infected with Helicobacter pylori, up to 2.17 times. ①
Screenshot of the study
The study analysed dietary data from 150 cases and 302 healthy people, including ultra-processed food sources such as sweets and cakes, non-dairy beverages, dairy beverages, processed meats, and fast food.
Researchers believe that the increase in Helicobacter pylori infections caused by the frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods is mainly due to its high salt, high carbohydrate and processing process.
1. High salt. Ultra-processed foods are usually high in salt, and long-term high salt intake can damage the mucosal barrier of the stomach and help increase the colonization of H. pylori.
2. High-carb water. The high content of carbohydrates in ultra-processed foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, may play a role in the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection because it prolongs gastric acidification and increases urea influx and ammonia production by bacteria.
3. Chronic inflammation. The presence of inflammation is also a favorable condition for the growth of Helicobacter pylori; Ultra-processed foods play a role in many chronic inflammatory diseases, such as metabolic syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
4. Machining process. Studies have shown that people infected with H. pylori eat more fast food and oil. In addition to the increased risk of fast food ingredients (sodium, sugar, saturated fatty acids, and trans fatty acids), improper food handling, poor hygiene, and person-to-person transmission may also be associated with the risk of H. pylori infection.
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Ultra-processed foods are harmful in more ways than one
The so-called "ultra-processed food" refers to the food that has been processed on the basis of the food that has been processed, and this kind of food usually has a variety of food additives added, which is a typical high-sugar, high-fat, high-calorie food. Here's a simple example:
Fresh strawberries are natural foods→ processed foods after being made into strawberry jam→ and continue to be processed into strawberry flavored cakes, strawberry flavored sugar, and strawberry-flavored biscuits, which are ultra-processed foods.
Therefore, many people usually love to eat: potato chips, hamburgers, pizza, cola, milk tea, biscuits, cakes, ham sausages, instant noodles...... In fact, they are all ultra-processed foods, and before we know it, our lives are surrounded by a large number of ultra-processed foods. And ultra-processed foods are more than a little bit harmful.
1. Damage to the cardiovascular system
In March 2021, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) found that regularly eating "ultra-processed foods" increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and the more you eat each day, the more dangerous it is.
The study found that an increase in one serving of ultra-processed food per day was associated with a 7% increased risk of cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular events are defined as death from coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. It also increased cardiovascular deaths by 9%. After multifactorial adjustment, the risk of cardiovascular events was still higher in those who ate more ultra-processed foods. ②
2. Causes obesity
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2020 showed that the significant increase in the number of obese people worldwide is related to changes in the global food system, especially the emergence of ultra-processed foods, which brings convenience to people while quietly increasing the occurrence and epidemic risk of overweight. Ultra-processed foods are associated with extra weight gain, while the risk of overweight and obesity increases. ③
3. Diabetes, cancer
A 2020 study published in Nutrients noted that in adults, ultra-processed foods were associated with an increased risk of overweight, obesity, cardiometabolic risk, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, frailty, and death; In children and adolescents, ultra-processed foods are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk and asthma risk. ④
4. Coronary heart disease, hypertension
In 2020, a study from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, involving more than 330,000 participants, evaluated the impact of ultra-processed foods on 10 health outcomes. Higher intake of ultra-processed foods was found to be associated with the risk of death, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, overall cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, obesity during pregnancy, adolescent asthma and wheezing, and physical frailty. ⑤
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How do we steer clear of ultra-processed foods?
1. Try not to choose ultra-processed foods
For our daily diet, overly processed foods are definitely more harmful to the body than fresh and healthy foods, so try not to choose ultra-processed foods in our daily diet. First of all, you need to know which are ultra-processed foods? What are healthy foods?
(1) Natural food: fruits, meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, nuts, rice flour, corn, etc.;
(2) General processed foods: canned, salted or candied nuts, smoked meats, cheeses, breads, etc.;
(3) Ultra-processed food: ice cream, hamburger, chocolate, milk tea, biscuits, cakes, ham sausages, instant noodles, etc.
2. Try to cook and eat less snacks
You may also be able to tell that a large proportion of ultra-processed foods are found in the "snacks" category. Therefore, if you want to avoid excessive intake of ultra-processed foods in your life, try to choose to cook by yourself, eat less burgers, pizza, and reduce snack intake.
3. Eat more of what God has created and less of what is man-made
If you don't yet know how to distinguish between "natural foods" and "ultra-processed foods," remember the simple phrase, "Eat more of God's food and less artificial food." Try to choose as many natural and unprocessed foods as possible, foods created by nature. Eat less artificially overprocessed foods.
This article is synthesized from:
①Ultra-Processed food intake and risk of Helicobacter pylori infection: A case–control study. 01 April 2024 Food Science & Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.4152
②Filippa Juul, et al. Ultra-Processed Foods and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Framingham Offspring Study. JACC, 2021, 77(12): 1520-1531.
③UItra-processed food and the risk of overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. International Journal of Obesity ,2020,10.1038/s41366-020-00650-z
④Ultra-Processed Foods and Health Outcomes: A Narrative Review. Nutrients 2020, 12(7), 1955; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071955
⑤Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health outcomes: A systematic review of epidemiological studies 10.1186/s12937-020-00604-1