Don’t let “eating while it’s hot” cause esophageal cancer! Do not exceed this temperature →

At the Chinese dinner table, we often hear the phrase "eat while it's hot". Elders at home urge us to do so, and friends also say this when we have dinner together. We feel that this is a way of expressing love. But you may not realize that this habit of "eat while it's hot" may be quietly pushing us towards esophageal cancer!

Esophageal cancer is one of the eight most common cancers in the world.

Take 2020 for example, the number of new cases of esophageal cancer in China was about 320,000, accounting for 54% of the global total (about 600,000), ranking sixth among all tumors. More than half of these esophageal cancer cases are in China, and "eating while it's hot" is really partly responsible.

How is the esophagus destroyed by "eating while it's hot"?

There are mucous membranes on the surface of our mouth and esophagus. These mucous membranes are very delicate and very sensitive to temperature. The temperature that the oral mucosa can tolerate is about 60-65°C, and the esophageal mucosa is even lower, preferably not exceeding 40°C-41°C.

When you eat food that is too hot, the temperature in the esophagus rises and the mucosal epithelial cells are injured. At this time, the injured cells will fall off and new cells will proliferate to fill the gap. Even if you get burned once in a while, the body can still repair itself.

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However, if you eat hot food for a long time, the esophageal mucosa will be repeatedly stimulated, which will cause chronic inflammation. Over time, the epithelial cells will be in disarray, and the shape and arrangement structure will be abnormal, which may cause canceration and lead to esophageal cancer.

The World Health Organization states that drinking hot drinks above 65°C increases the risk of esophageal cancer. A study that followed 50,000 adults for 10.1 years found that people who loved to drink hot tea ≥60°C had a 41% higher risk of esophageal cancer than those who drank tea at a temperature of <60°C.

How hot is 65℃?

Don't underestimate this 65°C. You may think that you don't usually eat such hot food, but the temperature of many foods just out of the pot is much higher than this number. For example, the center temperature of freshly cooked beef balls can reach 70°C, and it takes 150 seconds to cool down to 65°C; a bowl of freshly served white porridge is 92°C, and it takes 17 minutes to cool down to 65°C. Many people don't have the patience to wait and directly put hot food into their mouths, which buries hidden dangers.

Here are a few examples: Mr. Zhang, 45, loves hot pot and other spicy foods, but he developed severe atypical hyperplasia of the esophagus and precancerous lesions; Mr. Zheng, 40, eats hot pot at least three times a week, and he always chooses hot and spicy bases, and was diagnosed with early esophageal cancer; Mr. Huang eats hot pot in winter and pickled vegetables with rice in summer, and his esophageal cancer eventually metastasized to his lungs. In these examples, the harm of "eating while it's hot" is obvious.

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Which foods can easily burn the esophagus?

Solid foods with a hot center, such as soup dumplings, red bean pies, sugar buns, glutinous rice balls, tofu, fried meatballs, baked sweet potatoes, etc., can easily damage the esophagus when you take a bite due to the heat inside.

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You also have to be careful when drinking various hot drinks , such as hot soup, hot tea, hot soy milk, hot coffee, and hot milk.

There are also common foods such as hot pot, malatang, casserole porridge, clay pot rice, stone pot rice, and hot soup noodles . Don't rush to put them into your mouth when eating.