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Fashion, Models & Beauty Tips |
Entertainment magazine from INDIA |
World Tourist Places |
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Fashion, Models & Beauty Tips |
Entertainment magazine from INDIA |
World Tourist Places |
Care for a bite of crotonaldehyde? How about a taste of benzo[a]pyrene? The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are particularly flavourful today. Or maybe you'd prefer some arsenic, nickel, perhaps a pinch of 4-(methylnitrosamino-1-(3-pryridly)-1-butanone? The list of tasty chemicals found in chewing tobacco and cigarettes reads like a Chinese menu from hell. "You put more than 2,000 cancer-causing chemicals into your body when you smoke or chew tobacco products," says Dr Dinesh Pendharkar, a cancer specialist at Sitaram Bhartia Hospital in New Delhi. We're not trying to scare you into stubbing out that white stick, but did you know that this list includes polonium-210, the radioactive substance that killed Alexander Litvineko? Granted, it was a massive dose that snuffed out the Russian ex-spy, but it's there in every cigarette. And doctors know that regular exposure to it and other chemicals found even in trace amounts in tobacco products can boost your risk of cancer dramatically. Carcinogens in tobacco products prevent abnormal cells in your mouth from dying, explains Dr Pendharkar. The abnormal cells mutate and eventually may form tumours that can lead to oral cancer. India's oral cancer rates are among the highest in the world: about 80,000 new cases are diagnosed here every year, and more than 50,000 Indian men die from the disease annually. That's not surprising, since India is also one of the world's largest tobacco consumers-nearly seven in 10 Indian men use some form of tobacco daily. Researchers believe that the DNA-damaging compounds 1. Rinse and spit Let's dispense with the obvious: the best thing you can do is to stop smoking or chewing tobacco. Ninety per cent of all oral cancer cases among Indian men can be traced to tobacco use, says Dr Pendharkar. Though smoking is no small problem, the majority of male tobacco users here consume chewing tobacco products like betel quid, gutkha and pan masala, says Dr Ajay Dewan, senior surgeon at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Research Institute. Studies show that long-term users of smokeless tobacco may be 50 per cent more at risk than users of cigarettes for cancers of the cheek and gums. There are higher levels of toxic chemicals in chewing tobacco and they stay in the mouth longer, mixing with saliva and getting absorbed into mouth tissues and into the bloodstream. Chewing tobacco 8-10 times a day can bring as much nicotine into the body as smoking 30-40 cigarettes, according to Mayo Clinic, a cancer research hospital in the US. The good news: quitting can clean that oral ashtray. "If you quit the habit for 10 years, your risk of oral cancer returns to the normal level for a non-tobacco user," says Dr Pendharkar. 2. Drink tea Drinking at least four cups of black tea per day could reduce tobacco-related DNA damage among regular tobacco users, according to a study at the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata. Polyphenols, chemicals found in black tea, help reverse cancer-causing damage to the DNA in cells that line your mouth, say researchers. 3. Stay cool A study at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Maharashtra found that subjects with oral cancer regularly consumed more hot beverages-four or more every day-than those without oral cancer. Researchers believe that heat accelerates the growth of abnormal cells. "Heat injures the lining cells, and an area is cancer-prone when the injury occurs over and over again," says Dr Nandi. One reason why the traditionally Indian practice of reverse smoking-placing the lit end of the cigarette in the mouth-is particularly dangerous. If you're addicted to hot tea or coffee, let the cup stand for a while so that the drink can cool a little. .....Back |
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