Carcinogens are chemical compounds whose effect on the human body is one of the main causes of the appearance and development of malignant tumors or benign neoplasms.
Carcinogen Properties
A carcinogen is a harmful agent that, due to its own chemical and physical properties, can lead to irreversible damage to the genetic apparatus, which contributes to the body losing control of the somatic development of cells. Harmful toxic substances lead to a change in cells at the genetic level. As a result, a previously healthy cell ceases to fulfill the functions assigned to it.
The saturation of the body with carcinogenic substances carries a danger to health and life, regardless of their nature and concentration. In this case, the negative impact may not occur immediately. However, carcinogens are not only harmful chemical components, but also numerous physical factors, invisible radiation and some microorganisms.
Pesticides
Probably, it’s not a big secret for anyone that when growing plant foods,
chemicals are increasingly being used to destroy plant diseases, pests and all kinds of parasites. Such substances are known as pesticides. Such chemical carcinogens improve the yield, productivity of plants and increase the
shelf life of the final product.
However, the harmful effects of pesticides are reflected negatively not only on parasitic organisms. Toxic substances have the property of accumulating in plants. Consumption of vegetables and fruits previously treated with pesticides leads to slow poisoning of the human body. According to recent data, this is one of the reasons for the development of carcinogenesis processes, the result of which is the formation of malignant tumors.
However, every year the concentration of such chemicals in plant foods is increasingly subject to regulation by sanitary and epidemiological institutions. Among other things, there is a whole list of highly toxic pesticides, the use of which for the treatment of cultivated plants is under the strictest ban.
You can protect yourself from the consumption of plant foods with the content of harmful carcinogens subject to the following recommendations:
- Before you buy vegetables or fruits, you need to ask in what conditions they were grown.
- It is better to buy environmentally friendly products, despite the increased cost.
- To consume is carefully peeled plant food without a peel, since carcinogens are concentrated on the surface of vegetables and fruits.
- It is recommended to pay attention to farm animal products grown on pastures.
Benzene
One of the most harmful substances that are potentially hazardous to human health is benzene. Benzene poisoning can occur not only by getting into the respiratory tract, but also by absorbing the substance through the pores of unprotected skin.
Even the effect of a substance on an organism in small quantities can lead to irreversible changes in its structure. If we talk about chronic benzene poisoning, then in this case, the carcinogen most often becomes the root cause of such serious diseases as anemia and leukemia.
Benzene poisoning can occur by inhaling gasoline vapors, which is not only fuel for technology, but also widely used in various fields of industrial production. It acts as a raw material base in the manufacture of plastics, dyes, rubber, etc.
Nitrates
Every day, the human body is exposed to an impressive amount of toxic nitrate compounds found in water, vegetables and fruits, animal products. Such harmful toxic substances are dangerous, first of all, by the ability to transform into various nitro compounds, which lead to the formation of tumors of various internal organs.
It is possible to protect the body against the carcinogenic effects of nitrates by reducing the consumption of preservation, as well as products with artificially increased shelf life.
As for water, from it a person consumes about 20% of nitrate compounds. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to use spring, mineral or carbon-purified water.
The process of converting nitrates to hazardous chemical carcinogenic compounds is significantly slowed down when food is stored frozen or chilled.
Dioxides
Carcinogens include a wide list of potentially harmful substances that are part of the group of persistent pollutants. In this case, carcinogens are dangerous technogenic substances that are practically not excreted from the body, splitting into toxins from adipose tissues.
The negative effects of dioxide carcinogens on the body:
- suppression of the protective, immune properties of the body;
- destruction and alteration of the genetic cellular structure;
- increased likelihood of developing tumors and the occurrence of mental disorders;
- decreased levels of male hormones, impotence.
Reducing the risk of accumulation and decomposition of dioxides in the body allows reducing the consumption of animal fats, dairy products of dubious origin. A balanced, varied diet helps to reduce the accumulation of dioxides in the body.
Heavy metals
Carcinogens that are present in the environment as heavy metals include lead, nickel, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, and asbestos. Photos of this kind of pollution simply can not be seen everywhere.
The main sources of the formation of heavy metals that enter the human body are industrial enterprises, in particular, the processing of plastic and metal containers, car exhaust , tobacco smoke.
Carcinogenic heavy metals are saturated with food from both air and water. Metal carcinogens are primarily substances that cause skin cancer, malignant tumors in the lungs, liver, and other vital organs and systems.
Aflatoxins
A separate category of carcinogens includes biological substances - aflatoxins. Their source is certain types of mushrooms that grow on cereals, seeds of plants and fruits with a significant content of oils.
Aflatoxins are the most powerful biological carcinogens that lead to the destruction of liver cells. Chronic saturation of the body with aflatoxins or their single intake in a concentrated amount leads to death in a few days as a result of irreversible liver damage.
Glutamate
Carcinogens are also various food additives,
flavor enhancers, preservatives and colorings. It is strongly not recommended to consume foods containing sodium glutamate. To avoid irreparable harm to health, it is enough to avoid buying products that contain substances with the designation E.
Currently, glutamates may be present in the most unexpected foods. Due to the saturation of food products with glutamates, manufacturers are not only trying to enhance their taste and make them more attractive to consumers, but also “hook” the population with certain types of new goods. Therefore, when purchasing food in supermarkets, you should familiarize yourself with the composition of the products and always remain vigilant.