Strong chewing ability is not easy to suffer from Alzheimer's disease, drinking milk causes cancer...


　　In hot summer, take off the "popular science" coat of these rumors

　　【Dispel rumors】

　　◎Our reporter Chen Xi

　　There are endless health-related news on the Internet, but it is difficult to distinguish the true and false "popular science".

They are either from a netizen's "alternative" interpretation, such as negative pressure wards that make patients difficult to breathe; or "warm reminders" circulated in the circle of friends, such as Flammulina velutipes containing formaldehyde; or "research results" from professional journals, If the chewing ability is strong, it is not easy to suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and drinking milk causes cancer...

　　Today, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily will take stock of these false popular science rumors one by one in May to help you clear the fog and find the truth.

　　Does drinking milk cause cancer?

Fact: Without Reliable Science, Milk Is Still Healthy

　　The claim that "milk and dairy products cause cancer" has been widely circulated among the people. A recent paper titled "The intake of dairy products in Chinese adults is related to cancer risk" seems to have "scientific" evidence for this claim.

　　The study, conducted on a Chinese population, followed 500,000 Chinese for 11 years.

Relevant research data shows that dairy intake is significantly and positively associated with cancer risk—people who regularly consume dairy products have a higher overall risk of cancer.

　　At the same time, the above research data also pointed out the health benefits of drinking milk, such as promoting growth and development, but it seems that many netizens only care about "Chinese people drink milk to cause cancer".

　　"The domestic and foreign academic circles have been researching on 'whether milk is carcinogenic', and researchers generally believe that the benefits of drinking milk to the human body are the main, and this view has the absolute upper hand. Up to now, there is no claim that milk is carcinogenic. Reliable scientific basis, but the benefits of drinking it are very clear.” Professor Wang Huaqing, director of the Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Tianjin People’s Hospital, said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily, therefore, in the nutritional dietary guidelines of most countries in the world, milk and dairy products are still as high-quality Food is recommended to the public.

　　Wang Huaqing believes that the key to a healthy diet is a balanced diet.

"To put it simply, it means eating with flowers. It is best for everyone to eat more than 12 kinds of food every day, and 25 kinds of food every week. We should not demonize or deify a certain type of food. In our country In the dietary structure of my country, the calcium intake of residents is generally insufficient, so the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" that came out not long ago recommends the daily intake of 300ml to 500ml of milk or corresponding dairy products." He added.

　　Enoki mushrooms contain formaldehyde?

Fact: The pungent odor is produced by the enoki mushroom itself

　　Flammulina velutipes is a popular mushroom product, but recently there have been "popular science" articles such as "it has a peculiar smell and contains formaldehyde, and vegetable vendors never eat it".

The article said that enoki mushrooms commonly found in vegetable markets contain formaldehyde, which not only damages the liver and kidneys, but also causes cancer.

　　In this regard, Ban Litong, a professor at Tianjin Agricultural College, introduced in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that some citizens may smell a pungent odor when opening the packaging bag of Flammulina velutipes. This is not due to the addition of formaldehyde, but because During the transportation, the temperature changed, which caused the Flammulina velutipes to switch from aerobic respiration to anaerobic respiration, which in turn produced some volatile aldehyde gases.

　　Some netizens said that adding formaldehyde to enoki mushrooms is for bleaching.

In this regard, Ban Litong introduced that Flammulina velutipes were indeed yellow, and the reason why they turned white was not the result of bleaching with formaldehyde.

"Today, most of the enoki mushrooms on the market are new varieties from Japan. Japanese researchers found a genetically mutated white enoki mushroom in the yellow enoki mushroom, and then kept it for cultivation. The white enoki mushroom is not only good in color, but also grows fast. , high uniformity." He said.

　　According to the data, my country's "Food Safety Law" and "Agricultural Product Quality Safety Law" clearly stipulate that formaldehyde shall not be used as a food processing aid for production and operation.

That said, it is illegal to add formaldehyde to food in any way.

　　Strong chewing ability is not easy to suffer from Alzheimer's?

The truth: Excessive interpretation, there is no causal relationship between the two

　　Alzheimer's disease, commonly known as "senile dementia", is a chronic progressive brain disorder caused by damage to brain cells. .

According to the current clinical data, there is no effective cure for this disease.

However, a recent trending search on Weibo has attracted widespread attention.

According to this Weibo, a study pointed out that chewing ability can predict the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and the stronger the chewing ability, the younger the brain, the lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

　　Although chewing ability and Alzheimer's disease seem to be irrelevant, it seems that someone has really found the basis for "chewing is healthier".

In 2012, the American Journal of Geriatrics published a study.

The study, which surveyed 557 people aged 77 and over in Sweden, found that people who lost multiple teeth and had difficulty chewing hard foods had significantly higher rates of cognitive impairment.

　　"The above study is only an epidemiological study, which can only show that there is a correlation between chewing ability and Alzheimer's disease, but it cannot explain whether there is a causal relationship between the two, and the mechanism needs to be further verified by scientific research." Tianjin Zhou Yuying, chief physician of the Department of Neurology of the City Huanhu Hospital, said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease has not yet been identified in the medical community, but some risk factors have been identified.

Age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and the risk of the disease increases year by year with age.

　　"Rather than relying on exercising the masticatory muscles to prevent Alzheimer's disease, it is better to start with the whole lifestyle." Zhou Yuying said, first of all, a healthy diet can control blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, which will have a certain effect on preventing Alzheimer's disease. .

Secondly, studies have shown that exercise is very helpful in preventing Alzheimer's disease, such as walking, running, etc.

Hand movements, such as playing the piano, typing on the keyboard, picking up beans, etc., can also effectively stimulate regional cerebral blood flow, which is helpful in preventing and slowing Alzheimer's disease.

　　Zhou Yuying said that people who lack interest and hobbies and have a boring and monotonous life are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, so environmental stimulation is very effective in preventing this disease.

Rich life content and social circles can effectively stimulate the cerebral cortex, and "living and learning to old age" can also continue to exercise the brain and prevent Alzheimer's disease.

　　Does the negative pressure ward make it difficult for patients to breathe?

Fact: The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ward is so small that it does not cause any discomfort

　　In many news reports involving the new crown pneumonia epidemic, a term called "negative pressure ward" often appears.

In the process of treating patients with new coronary pneumonia, the negative pressure ward has played an important role and can be described as a "hero" in the fight against the epidemic.

However, due to the lack of understanding of such wards, some people only understand them literally and conduct "science popularization" on the Internet, saying that "negative pressure will cause patients to have difficulty breathing."

What are the facts?

　　"Negative pressure ward refers to a ward where the air pressure in the ward is lower than the air pressure outside the ward. It is mainly set up for patients suffering from respiratory infectious diseases." Wang Yimin, chief physician of the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Tianjin Teda Hospital, said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily, The normal atmospheric pressure is 1.013 × 105 Pascals (units of pressure), and the pressure difference between the air pressure in the negative pressure ward and the normal atmospheric pressure is only 25 Pascals.

"This air pressure difference is difficult for ordinary people to detect, and patients will not feel any discomfort in the negative pressure ward."

　　Since the air pressure in the negative pressure ward is lower than the air pressure outside the ward, the air can only flow in one direction, so that when medical staff enter and leave the ward, it can ensure that the fresh air from the outside can flow into the ward, but the polluted air in the ward can flow into the ward. will not spread outward.

The polluted air will not be discharged at will, but will be collected through special pipes and discharged to a fixed place, and then discharged to the outside world after being filtered and sterilized layer by layer.