It sells tens of billions every year, and addicts are addicted! The carcinogenic mystery of "Magic Fruit" was revealed for the first time

People who are addicted to betel nut say that after eating betel nut, they are like drinking "Erguotou", their face flushed and the spirit is excited. These states are not psychological effects, but actual alkaloid effects.

Areca nut contains a variety of alkaloids, arecoline and hypo arecoline are the most important ingredients. These substances, like other alkaloids, have an impact on human functions. Among them, arecoline can stimulate the secretion of endogenous ACTH. As a result, the pituitary gland releases more ACTH, which then allows the adrenal glands to produce more ACTH.

It doesn't matter if you have been stunned by this process. Let's put the result of chewing betel nut simple, that is: an excitement process occurs in the human body.

However, betel nut offends "public anger", it is no longer a matter of overnight.

As early as 2003, betel nut was recognized by the International Cancer Research Center as a category 1 carcinogen (representing a clear carcinogenicity to humans), and it is the highest level of carcinogens. In the same category, there are formaldehyde, arsenic, asbestos...

In the list of category 1 carcinogens updated in 2012, the number of carcinogens related to betel nut increased to three.

Betel nut is a complex mixture, and it has not been confirmed which ingredient is carcinogenic. However, a recent academic paper published in "The Lancet-Oncology" revealed the mystery of the "magic fruit" causing cancer.

Betel nut carcinogenic ingredients confirmed for the first time

Including China's Hunan, Yunnan, Hainan and China Taiwan...

According to the assessment of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization, 10%-20% of the world’s population chew betel nut due to refreshing and addiction, mainly in Southeast Asia and South Asia, including China’s Hunan, Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan. area.

Recently, IARC published a major assessment conclusion on the carcinogenicity of arecoline, the main active ingredient of betel nut, in The Lancet-Oncology. Based on strong mechanism research evidence, arecoline is classified as a category 2B carcinogen-possibly carcinogenic to humans (animal test evidence or limited human carcinogenic evidence).

IARC pointed out that although betel nut has been classified by IARC as a category 1 carcinogen (it is determined to cause cancer in humans), the exact carcinogenic component has not been confirmed. This is the first time that the IARC working group has evaluated arecoline. It is very important and has promoted people's understanding of how areca nut is carcinogenic.

Source: The Lancet Oncology

It is confirmed that betel nut is carcinogenic, why choose arecoline for evaluation?

Arecoline is the main active ingredient of betel nut, which is easily absorbed and can be detected in saliva, blood, urine, hair and breast milk of betel nut eaters. In addition, arecoline is directly used in some traditional medicines.

In terms of compositional properties, arecoline is also an alkaloid like nicotine, and it also acts on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. At the same time, arecoline is also responsible for other receptors (including muscarinic acetylcholine receptors). Partial agonist.

The reaction of arecoline with sodium nitrite can also form N-nitrosamines, which is also a type of carcinogen and has also been found in the saliva of people who chew betel nuts.

Assess evidence of carcinogenicity of arecoline

The IARC working group evaluated the research evidence on the mechanism of betel nut from academic institutions around the world, including Southeast Asia where betel nut chewing is very common.

1. There is strong evidence that arecoline has a variety of key carcinogenic properties. These evidences come from studies conducted in human primary cells and under various experimental conditions.

Arecoline is electrophilic.

It is genetically toxic. It can induce DNA strand breaks, formation of micronuclei (abnormal structure, a phenomenon of chromosome aberration), chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchange in human primary and cultured cells.

Can alter DNA repair or cause genome instability. Arecoline can cause chromosome damage in vitro and in vivo experiments, and can induce gene mutations in mammalian cells in vitro experiments and bacteria. In transgenic mice, arecoline can change the mutation spectrum of mice. In in vitro experiments on human cell lines, arecoline alters DNA repair.

Can cause oxidative stress.

The metabolites of arecoline arecaidine (arecaidine) and arecoline-N-oxide are also genetically toxic.

2. In laboratory animals, limited evidence shows that arecoline is carcinogenic. In two mouse feeding studies, arecoline increased the overall tumor incidence. In multiple carcinogenic studies, arecoline induced malignant esophageal tumors in mice and benign esophageal and tongue tumors in rats.

3. In humans, there is still a lack of sufficient evidence on the carcinogenicity of arecoline.

Based on the above-mentioned main evidence, the IARC expert group designated arecoline as a category 2B carcinogen.

In recent years, the close relationship between betel nut and oral cancer has also received attention for many times. The IARC update of the carcinogenic information of the specific ingredients of betel nut undoubtedly emphasizes the health hazards of betel nut again.

Betel nut has been favored in ancient China

Two Persian handmade Hetian jade jars used to hold betel nuts are Qianlong's lifelong love...

The so-called near the water to the terrace, the Chinese people have a long history of chewing betel nuts.

There is such a record in Yang Fu's "Foreign Objects" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Betel nut, like bamboo shoots and bamboo shoots, is hard and hard, with stems straight up, without branches and leaves, and its shape is like pillars... The ears are fruitless without flowers, and are as big as peaches and plums... Take the vines and ancient beech ashes to eat together, lower the breath and eat, and eliminate the insects and grains." At present, this is the earliest record of betel nuts.

Several messages are revealed in this record. First, the appearance of betel nut is similar to that of bamboo poles. The "one mind" grows upwards and leaves on the top of the head. Needless to say, this is actually a major feature of palm plants, whether it is king palm, coconut, or Iraqi dates (dates).

A betel nut forest. Image: Challiyan / wikipedia

In the above description, another important point is that eating betel nut has special effects, including digestion and deworming. It can be seen that the betel nut was still a medicine at this time, and it was chewed for health. Before the Song Dynasty, medicine has always been the main identity of betel nut.

In Tao Hongjing's "Famous Doctors" in the Jin Dynasty, Liu Xun's "Ling Biao Lu Yi" in the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" in the Ming Dynasty, there are descriptions of the medicinal value of betel nut. For a long time, people It is even believed that this kind of fruit can get rid of the miasma in southern China, so it is listed as the four major southern medicines along with "Yizhiren, Amomum villosum, and Morinda officinalis". This is enough to explain the status of betel nut in medicine.

The medicinal value of betel nut has been prominent since the Qin and Han Dynasties. According to the records of the "Historical Records" and "Sanfu Huangtu", when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty led troops out of South Vietnam, he used betel nuts to resolve the miasma in the army. After the victory of the war, he built the Fuli Palace in Xi'an and built it inside. A large number of southern trees have been planted, including betel nut; in the Tang Dynasty's "Medicinal Herbal Medicine", it is stated that "betel nut is sweet in taste and cold in nature.

After the Song Dynasty, the use of betel nuts began to change. They are not just simple medicines, but more often they play the role of hobbies. Everyone came to chew betel nuts for pleasure, especially in the Lingnan areas such as Hainan and Guangdong, and this habit has continued, and once became a leisure way for princes and nobles. It wasn't until opium and tobacco were introduced into our country that betel nut slowly walked off the altar of the king of hobbies.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Kingdom of Kantoli (present-day Sumatra) paid tribute to betel nuts, and the court gave them to the ministers. The poems of the courtiers' thanks are mostly recorded in the "Liang History".

Li Yu, the post-master of the Southern Tang Dynasty, wrote about his Great Zhou Dynasty, there are words and phrases like "chewing red velvet, laughing to Tanlang", betel nuts, beauties, and lovers are vivid and vivid.

Qianlong is a good betel nut. There are two Persian handmade Hetian jade jars used to hold betel nuts, which is the long-lived Qianlong love. The two things are kept in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Jiaqing's imperial approval on the zhezi: "I often take betel nut, you can take it at any time", "only betel nut is one item, I often take it, and every time I present it with the tribute, no mistake." Two folds are now stored in China's first historical archive.

How to pretend to vomit blood? Chewing betel nuts!

"Urban psoriasis" spit on the street-betel nut juice is extremely annoying

The betel nut on the market in my country today is mainly produced in Guangdong, Yunnan, Taiwan, Guangxi and Fujian. In other countries, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines have the most output.

Betel nut produced in India. Henryk Kotowski / wikipedia

A small street shop mainly selling betel nuts.

Picture: GU Gutian Hot / Flickr

In Hainan, many public places write unceremoniously-"It is forbidden to chew betel nuts!"

People who arrive in Hainan for the first time will be very surprised. There are often many red blood stains on the streets. People have to wonder, "How come so many people come to the street to vomit blood?" In fact, these red substances are not blood at all. It's the juice vomited by people who chew betel nuts.

Picture: travel-badger

If you simply chew betel nuts, even if you chew them and then crush them, there will be no bright red juice. If red juice really appears at this time, it is probably because the gums and oral mucosa have been punctured. If you want to get red fruit, you must chew betel nut, shell ash (if shell ash is not available, you can also use lime instead), and burberry leaf (a plant of the Piper family with a special aroma).

Spread shell powder or lime on the leaves, wrap betel nut and chew together.

Picture: TIM SANDLE / digitaljournal

With the assistance of the shell powder and the leaves of the betel nut, the betel nut red pigment (a phenolic substance) in the betel nut will change significantly, showing a bleeding-like color. Worse still, this red pigment of betel nut is not easy to be removed, so betel nut juice spit on the street is very annoying. At this point, betel nut is a bit like chewing gum, and accidentally becomes urban psoriasis.

Therefore, it is not surprising that chewing betel nuts is forbidden in public.

The addition of shell ash and tuber leaf makes the appearance of betel nuts diversified.

Picture: SIMONTHESORCERER

Betel nut has long been questioned in China

Why do many people still don't know the harm?

Selling tens of billions every year, addicts are addicted

Betel nut is native to Hainan, but it is popular in Hunan.

Public information shows that the total value of the betel nut industry in Hunan Province last year exceeded 30 billion yuan, accounting for 3/4 of the country's total betel nut output value, and it is still growing rapidly. In Hainan, nearly 2.3 million farmers grow betel nut, and betel nut has become an important local economic crop.

It can be said that the betel nut industry has formed a complete industrial chain. In this huge business empire of betel nuts, it is difficult for the public to know about the dangers of betel nuts.

Prior to this, 13 sets of CCTV's "News 30 Minutes" had extensively reported on the strong carcinogenicity of betel nuts. After the show was broadcast, the price of betel nuts in Hainan plummeted and the income of local farmers dropped sharply.

In September of the same year, two sets of CCTV's "Economic Information Network" "refuted the rumors": the claim that "betel nuts cause cancer" had no scientific basis.

Professor Jian Xinchun, president of the Hunan Stomatological Association, is the first dentist in China who discovered that long-term chewing of betel nut can cause oral mucosal lesions. He and his colleagues have long promoted that "betel nuts cause cancer" and were threatened with "800,000 people buying your head."

In response, he said, "I understand it very well, after all, I moved such a big piece of cake."

Capital makes people "silence" and makes people speak out.

There are even many young betel nut brands frequently appearing on local TV’s Lantern Festival and being implanted in popular web dramas.

However, can the betel nut, which seems harmless to humans and animals but contains carcinogens, really be linked to health?

Because of the addictive nature of betel nuts, the United States forbids the transportation of betel nuts between states as early as 1976, and the sale of betel nut products nationwide in Canada and Australia.

Signs of "No Smoking" and "No Betel Nuts"

In India, another big consumer of betel nuts, the government also requires that the outer packaging of betel nuts be added with pictures of oral cancer to serve as a warning.

Betel nut packaging with warning pictures

my country's Xiamen City issued a policy in 1996 to strictly prohibit the production, sale and consumption of betel nuts. This ban has lasted for 24 years. There have been almost no cases of oral cancer caused by long-term chewing of betel nuts in the two local hospitals.

In stark contrast, in April last year, the expert research team counted 45 oral cancer patients in the ward of Xiangya Hospital in Hunan Province, of which 44 had a long-term history of betel nut chewing.

Source: Xiangya Hospital of Central South University website

In February 2019, the National Health Commission issued the "Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025)". Article 3 of the "Specific Actions" in the second part of the plan mentioned:

In areas with the habit of chewing betel nuts, focusing on the hazards of long-term chewing betel nuts to oral health, targeted publicity and education and oral health inspections are carried out to promote early diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as periodontal and oral mucosal diseases.

If you are curious and want to try fresh, in view of the dangers of betel nut, it is recommended not to touch it.

If someone around you is addicted to betel nut chewing, please let him see this article.