Areca nut is a kind of green fruit that grows on trees. It is often made into black dried fruit and sold in supermarkets and grocery stores. It is obviously a fruit, but it is addictive like drugs.
People who love to chew betel nut think it has a unique taste, and it also makes people feel a little tipsy. It has become the first choice snack for many people when they are resting or their mouths are "a little idle".
There is even a saying: "Betel nut with cigarettes is lawless; Betel nut with wine is immortal, so that people who like it can’t stop talking.
The picture comes from the Internet.
However, betel nut is not a casual snack that can be eaten casually, but a recognized carcinogenic food.
In 2019, it was proposed by National Health Commission in the Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025) that in areas with betel nut chewing habits, oral health examination should be strengthened, and publicity and education should be carried out.
Image source: CDC
In fact, betel nut, as a recreational snack, has always been accompanied by controversy.Known as "soft drugs." No matter how many times you are warned, "Aren’t you afraid of getting cancer? ",but there are still many people who turn a blind eye to this.
This kind of fruit has a long history as food, and now it has become a snack industry with a market sales of 10 billion yuan last year.
How much do you know about "betel nut"
About betel nut
In fact, betel nut was not originally used as a recreational snack, but as a medicinal one, which has the functions of eliminating phlegm and relieving cough, promoting digestion and moistening intestines. When chewing betel nut, people often feel excited, their cheeks are red, and they sweat slightly, just like drinking wine.
In the past, people living in mountainous areas often used eat areca to keep out the cold and relieve fatigue after intense work. But now people treat betel nut as a daily "snack" after processing, which is often chewed without restraint, which is not conducive to people’s health.
The picture comes from the Internet.
Types of betel nut
At present, there are two kinds of betel nut in the market:Raw betel nut and cooked betel nut.
Raw betel nut usually refers to betel nut that is not fully mature and has not been processed at high temperature. Most of its colors are dark blue or light green. Under normal circumstances, raw betel nut tastes bitter. When eating raw betel nut, it is usually chopped directly into your mouth and hardly processed before eating.
The picture comes from the Internet.
Cooked betel nut, because it has matured, is generally bluish yellow or light yellow in color. Cooked betel nut will have a faint cool feeling when eaten, and its bitterness is not very great.
In addition to being eaten directly, the cooked betel nut will be processed and sold for eating. At present, the "green betel nut" and "smoked betel nut" circulating in the market are all processed from the cooked betel nut.
Betel nut with green fruit is soft and sweet, and it tastes good without smoking. The smoked betel nut is a kind of betel nut that is dried by smoking.
The picture comes from the Internet.
Why is it difficult to quit chewing betel nut?
In fact, betel nut contains a substance called"alkaloid"The important components of betel nut are closely related to the physical reactions caused by chewing betel nut, such as rosy face, fever and slight sweating.
Chewing a betel nut will soon make people feel refreshed. Such a rare stimulus will make you chew one by one, and it will be addictive.
In Hunan Province and Hainan Province, betel nut has become a social etiquette culture.
When you go out, you carry a pack of betel nuts with you. When you meet an acquaintance, each person sends one. When guests come to the house, they also distribute betel nuts to the guests. Everyone chews betel nuts and chats.
Sometimes, even during the Spring Festival, betel nuts are given as gifts, and it has become a custom in some areas to use betel nuts to celebrate the New Year.
The picture comes from the Internet.
Moreover, the price of betel nut is relatively low, and betel nut manufacturers often engage in marketing activities, and use the activities of scraping prizes to stimulate people’s desire to buy. Even some people regard betel nut as a healthy substitute for cigarettes, so it is more difficult to quit.
Does chewing betel nut often cause cancer?
In 2003, the World Health Organization’s International Center for Research on Cancer put Areca catechu on the "blacklist", which was the same as tobacco, alcohol and arsenic as a first-class carcinogen.
The picture comes from the Internet.
In 2007, the State Food and Drug Administration reprinted the list of carcinogens, and betel nut was also listed as a class of carcinogens.
Among them, there are two causes of cancer:
First: after chewing, the chemical substances in betel nut form nitroso, which is a clear carcinogenic compound.
Second: Areca nut is hard, which is easy to cause mechanical trauma to oral mucosa when chewing, and it can be transformed into oral cancer after a long time.
What are the disadvantages of chewing betel nut?
It is not good for the teeth themselves and the periodontal tissues.
Chewing betel nut in large quantities for a long time can easily lead to serious tooth wear, red and black teeth, and even premature tooth loss.
The picture comes from the Internet.
Betel nut juice mixed with lime is easy to form dental calculus, which not only affects aesthetics, but also affects periodontal health. Areca nut fiber is thick and hard, and it may also stab the gums or block the teeth, causing the gums to be compressed and inflamed.
Bad for oral mucosa
Chewing betel nut often leads to oral submucosal fibrosis and leukoplakia, ranging from pain, numbness and difficulty in opening mouth, to oral mucosal ulcer, which eventually evolves into oral cancer.
The picture comes from the Internet.
03 is not good for temporomandibular joint
Chewing betel nut for a long time will increase the load on the temporomandibular joint, causing joint snapping and pain. In severe cases, it can also lead to perforation of articular disc.
Effect on digestive system
Some ingredients contained in betel nut will damage the taste nerve and saliva secretion and affect the digestive function. In addition, areca nut residue can also stimulate the stomach wall, which can lead to inflammation and even perforation of gastric mucosa in severe cases.
Influence on face shape
As we all know, chewing gum often will generally make your masseter muscle bigger, and chewing betel nut will have the same problem. If you chew betel nut too often, it will also lead to the masseter muscle bigger and the face of the melon seeds will become a Chinese face.
The picture comes from the Internet.
I hope all the people who are addicted to chewing betel nut will give up as soon as possible, and don’t think that there is nothing wrong with their health, just because they are lucky. Eating one more betel nut will bring more risks to health, not only for your own health, but also for the happiness of your family.
Source of this article: Beijing Youth Daily official website
