Disclaimer: The content of the article is for reference only, the storyline is purely fictional, intended to popularize health knowledge, if you feel unwell, please seek medical attention offline.
Dr. Wang stood in front of the hospital's morgue and sighed deeply. Today, he sent away another lung cancer patient. This is already the third place of the month. As a veteran respiratory physician, Dr. Wang has a deep understanding of the ruthlessness of lung cancer. But this time, he decided to do something.
Why do these patients get lung cancer? Do they have anything in common? With these questions in mind, Dr. Wang embarked on a spontaneous survey study. He went through the medical records of 89 recent lung cancer deaths to try to find a pattern.
Over the course of months-long investigations, Dr. Wang gradually discovered some shocking commonalities. These discoveries not only surprised him, but also made him realize that certain seemingly innocuous daily habits may be quietly becoming invisible killers that kill him.
Just as Dr. Wang was about to sort out the results of the investigation, an old friend came to his door.
"Lao Wang, what have you been busy with lately? Why don't you see people all the time?" Mr. Lee is a college classmate of Dr. Wong and is now a creative director of an advertising agency.
Dr. Wang smiled bitterly: "Don't mention it, I was doing a survey on lung cancer recently, and the results made me a little uneasy."
Mr. Li became interested: "Oh? Let's hear it. "
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Dr. Wang took a deep breath and began to recount his findings: "I looked at the medical records of 89 lung cancer deaths and found that a large number of them shared three 'hobbies' or habits. These three habits may seem ordinary, but they may be closely related to the occurrence of lung cancer. "
Mr. Li was aroused: "What habit is so terrible?"
"The first one is smoking, which may not be surprising. But the second and third may surprise you - they are regular consumption of barbecue and long-term cooking in oily smoke. "
Mr. Li opened his mouth wide in surprise: "What? Grilling and stir-frying can also cause lung cancer?"
Dr. Wang nodded, "That's right." Let me explain in detail. "
1. The fatal temptation of smoking
"Let's talk about smoking first." Dr. Wang began to explain, "Of the 89 lung cancer deaths I surveyed, 78% had a long-term smoking history. This number is quite staggering. "
Mr. Li thoughtfully said: "I knew that smoking was bad for my health, but I didn't expect it to be so closely related to lung cancer."
Dr. Wong continued, "That's true. According to the World Health Organization, about 90% of lung cancer deaths worldwide are related to smoking. Smokers have a 15-30 times higher risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers. "
"Tobacco contains more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 69 of which are known carcinogens. These substances can damage the DNA of cells in the lungs, causing cells to proliferate abnormally and eventually form tumors. "
Mr. Li exclaimed: "So terrible! What about secondhand smoke?"
"Secondhand smoke is just as dangerous." "Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke for a long time have a 20-30% higher risk of lung cancer than the general population. "
2. The invisible killer of barbecue
"The second surprising finding is that 63% of lung cancer deaths regularly consume barbecue food," Dr Wong continued.
Mr. Li showed an incredulous expression: "Barbecue can also cause lung cancer?" I always thought that grilling would only affect the digestive system. "
Dr Wong explains, "A lot of people have this misconception. In fact, the harmful substances produced during the barbecue process not only enter the human body through consumption, but also are inhaled into our lungs in the form of smoke. "
"When grilling, the proteins and fats in the food will produce carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines at high temperatures. These substances are not only found in cooked food, but also enter our respiratory system with smoke. "
"A study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer showed that people who regularly consume barbecue food have a 60% higher risk of lung cancer than those who don't consume it regularly."
Mr. Li was surprised and said, "Oh my God, I always thought it was harmless to have a barbecue once in a while."
Doctor Wang nodded, "Indeed, it is not a big problem to eat occasionally. But if you eat it regularly, be careful. Especially those who already have a smoking habit, they should pay extra attention. "
3. The silent threat of oil fumes
"This last discovery may come as a surprise to a lot of people." "Of the lung cancer deaths surveyed, 57 per cent had been cooking in an oily fumes for a long time. "
Mr. Li said in surprise: "Stir-frying can also cause lung cancer? It's also unbelievable. "
Dr. Wang explains, "The fumes produced by stir-frying vegetables contain a large number of harmful substances, including carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Long-term inhalation of these substances can greatly increase the risk of lung cancer. "
"A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention showed that women with long-term exposure to oil fumes had a 2.12-fold higher risk of lung cancer than the general population."
Mr. Li thought thoughtfully: "No wonder my grandmother always says to open the window to stir-fry."
Dr. Wang nodded, "Yes, it's very important to keep the kitchen ventilated. The use of range hoods and open windows for ventilation can effectively reduce the harm of oil fumes. "
After listening to Dr. Wang's explanation, Mr. Li fell into deep thought: "Lao Wang, your research is too meaningful. But how can we avoid these dangers?"
Dr. Wang smiled and said, "Actually, prevention is not difficult. I'll give you a few suggestions:
1. Quitting smoking is a top priority. If it is difficult to quit for a while, you should also try to reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke and avoid smoking in public places to avoid harming others.
2. Cut back on barbecued food, and if you really want to eat it, choose foods that are grilled for a short period of time, at a low temperature, and avoid eating the burnt parts.
3. Pay attention to ventilation when cooking, use a good quality range hood, and minimize oil smoke inhalation.
4. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat more vegetables and fruits, exercise moderately, and enhance the body's resistance.
5. Regular physical examination, early detection and early treatment. Low-dose CT screening may be considered in high-risk populations. "
Mr. Li carefully noted down these suggestions, and then asked, "Lao Wang, have you ever thought of publishing your research results?" I think this information is very helpful for everyone. "
Dr. Wang nodded: "I have this plan. I hope that through this research, more people will be raised to the attention of lung cancer prevention. After all, prevention is better than cure. "
Since that day, Dr. Wang has been actively promoting his research findings. He organizes lectures at hospitals, distributes leaflets in the community, and even opens an online health science account. Mr. Li also took the initiative to help and used his resources in the advertising industry to design a series of lively and interesting public service announcements.
Gradually, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to lung cancer prevention and change bad habits. Although it takes time to change, Dr. Wong believes that with perseverance, the results will be seen.
A year later, when Dr. Wang recounted, he found that the number of lung cancer patients in the hospital had dropped significantly. This made him feel relieved and strengthened his determination to continue research and publicity.
This story teaches us that whether we are healthy or not often depends on our daily habits. Seemingly trivial behaviors can have a profound impact on our health. Therefore, we should always be vigilant and develop good lifestyle habits to stay away from those potential health threats.
Bibliography:
1. World Health Organization. (2020). Tobacco. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
2. Zheng W, et al. (2018). Association of grilled and well-done meat intake with risk of lung cancer. Nutrition and Cancer, 70(7), 1032-1040.
3. Yu IT, et al. (2006). Dose-response relationship between cooking fumes exposures and lung cancer among Chinese nonsmoking women. Cancer Research, 66(9), 4961-4967.
4. National Cancer Institute. (2021). Lung Cancer Prevention (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. https://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/hp/lung-prevention-pdq
5. Zhao Y, et al. (2019). Indoor air pollution from cooking and heating and its association with lung cancer: A case-control study in China. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 28(8), 1475-1483.