"I heard that cooking with gas stoves can cause cancer, and I’ve been thinking about whether to change the induction cooker recently," Aunt Wang said worriedly.
"Really? You won’t be fooled by those marketing numbers again … "Aunt Wang’s daughter questioned, after all, Aunt Wang had been cheated many times before.
"This time, it is said by serious research that it is useless to open a range hood. What can I do!"
……
Does frequent use of gas stoves really cause cancer? Is there any way to reduce the risk?
01
Is the gas stove carcinogenic?
Or increase the risk of leukemia.
According to statistics, at present, the gas penetration rate in China is as high as 98.0%, which is a high level in the world, but recently it has been said that gas stoves can cause cancer. Is it true?
A research team from Stanford University published a paper in Environmental Science & Technology, saying that gas stoves and ovens will release carcinogen benzene during combustion, which may pose a threat to human health.
Benzene is defined as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and labeled as a "carcinogen" by the US Environmental Protection Agency. There is no lower threshold for benzene exposure, and any degree of benzene exposure may increase the risk of leukemia and lymphoma.
The research shows that gas stoves and ovens will release a lot of benzene when using gas or liquefied petroleum gas (propane), especially when used at high power. On the contrary, the benzene released by induction cooker during combustion is much smaller, so it may be a healthier choice to use induction cooker.
It is worth noting that the use of range hoods can not effectively improve the health risks caused by benzene produced by gas stoves. Even with the help of the range hood, benzene will spread outside the kitchen, and it will stay in the air for a long time, so that people outside the kitchen will be exposed to high levels of benzene for a long time.
In fact, this is not the first time that the health hazards of gas stoves have been discovered. A study by Stanford University shows that the benzene concentration formed by gas stove flame in the room may be higher than the average concentration of second-hand smoke, and it will spread to other rooms far away from the kitchen, so that the benzene concentration in the living space may exceed the national and international health standards and affect health.
After reading the above research introduction, many friends will definitely wonder, can we still use gas stoves in the future? In this regard, nutritionist Gu Zhongyi gave two suggestions:
First, open more windows for ventilation, which is the most effective way to reduce indoor benzene concentration. When cooking, be sure to open the kitchen window for ventilation, and close the doors of the kitchen and bedroom at the same time, and then open the door after cooking. Even if there is a range hood, ventilation cannot be ignored.
Second, consider using induction cookers more, because induction cookers hardly produce benzene. For long-term cooking, you can choose an induction cooker, while cooking such as quick frying can still use a gas stove.
02
Is it normal for gas stoves to emit green light?
Beware of two kinds of anomalies
Are you using a gas stove at home? Have you ever noticed the flame color when natural gas burns? In fact, there are hidden health risks. I hope you can understand them in time.
Under normal circumstances, the flame color of gas stoves and ovens is usually blue. The blue flame indicates that the combustion is sufficient and the fuel is completely burned in oxygen, which is the safest and most efficient state.
If there is a green flame in a gas stove, it usually means that it contains a lot of copper compounds when burning, which may be caused by problems with copper materials in combustion devices or pipes, so it is necessary to clean the stove in time.
It should be noted that if the gas stove has red flame or yellow flame for a long time, it is best to stop using it and check whether its function is normal.
1. Poor smoke exhaust
Long-term use of gas stoves may cause the gas outlet to be blocked by oil pollution, resulting in incomplete combustion and red or yellow flames. At this time, it is necessary to clean up the oil stain on the air outlet, and you can use iron wire or old toothbrush to dredge it regularly.
2. The air outlet is blocked
Flue gas needs to be discharged quickly so that the gas stove can continue to burn completely. If there is poor ventilation, the smoke will stay around the flame, resulting in insufficient oxygen, thus resulting in incomplete combustion. The solution is to open the kitchen window or increase the strength of the range hood to ensure the smoke is discharged quickly.
03
Four cooking habits may give birth to cancer cells.
Everyone’s cooking habits are different, but if it is wrong, it may attract the "attention" of cancer cells.
In 2019, The Lancet published a large-scale global study, which focused on the impact of diet on health. This study evaluates the consumption of major foods and nutrients in 195 countries, and quantifies the impact of sub-health dietary intake in 195 countries on the mortality and incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases.
The results show that in 2017, 11 million people worldwide died of dietary risks. It is particularly noteworthy that in China, diet-related cardiovascular diseases and cancer deaths rank first in the world.
The study also pointed out that since 1990, the number of deaths caused by global dietary risks has increased from about 8 million to 11 million in 2017. This shows that improving diet is urgent and necessary to reduce diet-related chronic diseases and deaths.
In this regard, Xiao Jiu reminded that the following four cooking habits should be corrected as soon as possible:
1. Do not turn on the range hood when cooking
Cooking oil at high temperature will produce harmful fumes, which contain irritating substances, which may lead to chronic diseases such as lung cancer. Especially women who have been exposed to kitchen fumes for a long time have a higher risk of lung cancer.
It is suggested that the range hood should continue to work for 3-5 minutes after frying, to ensure the discharge of harmful gases, and to open the window for ventilation to reduce the harm.
2. Put too much salt
High-salt diet may lead to water and sodium retention, increase blood pressure, and then increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In addition, excessive intake of salt can also damage the gastric mucosa, causing stomach problems such as gastritis and gastric ulcer. Long-term high salt intake is also related to the risk of gastric cancer.
Therefore, attention should be paid to controlling the amount of salt in daily diet, and other condiments such as onion, ginger and garlic can be selected to increase the flavor of food.
3. Reuse frying oil
In the process of frying food, oil will produce many harmful substances, such as oxidation products and benzopyrene, a carcinogen. These harmful substances will remain in the oil and accumulate with the repeated use of the oil, which may increase the risk of cancer after being ingested by the human body.
On the other hand, repeated use of frying oil will also increase the intake of unhealthy fat and cholesterol, leading to an increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
4. Eat fried food frequently.
Frying food may lead to the formation of carcinogens such as acrylamide. In daily life, we should try to reduce the intake of high-temperature cooking food and choose healthier cooking methods such as steaming and stewing.
Conclusion: Healthy eating habits and proper cooking methods are essential to reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases. A small change in life may help us stay away from diseases and stay healthy better.
References:
[1] "Benzene concentration exceeds second-hand smoke! The latest research: Cooking with gas stove at high temperature can not only increase the risk of lung cancer, but also cause leukemia … ".Frontier of Life Science. 2023-07-03.
[2] "Natural gas is carcinogenic? How to use the gas stove? Dietitian Gu Zhongyi. 2023-06-28.
[3] "Watch out! Be careful when these two colors appear in natural gas combustion at home. Popular Science China .2021-08-21.
[4] The Lancet: Cancer in China is closely related to diet! OBCD pan-cancer early screening.2021-11-03
Reprinting is prohibited without the permission and authorization of the author.
Read the original text