In the sweltering summer, let's shed these "health myths"

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Health-related information abounds online, but it's difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood and scientific facts. Don't believe these rumors: Enoki mushrooms contain formaldehyde, strong chewing ability reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease, drinking milk causes cancer...

Does drinking milk cause cancer?

The truth: Despite the lack of solid scientific evidence, milk remains a healthy food.

The claim that milk and dairy products cause cancer has been widely circulated. A recent paper titled "Dairy Product Intake and Cancer Risk in Chinese Adults" shows a significant positive correlation between dairy product intake and cancer risk; people who regularly consume dairy products have a higher overall risk of cancer. The study also points out the health benefits of drinking milk, such as promoting growth and development, but it seems many netizens are only concerned with the claim that "milk consumption causes cancer in Chinese people."

To date, there is no solid scientific evidence to support the claim that milk causes cancer, while its health benefits are clear. In my country's dietary structure, calcium intake is generally insufficient; therefore, the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends a daily intake of 300 to 500 ml of milk or equivalent dairy products.

Does enoki mushroom contain formaldehyde?

The truth: The pungent odor originates from the enoki mushrooms themselves.

Enoki mushrooms are a popular mushroom product, but recently there have been articles claiming they have an unpleasant odor, contain formaldehyde, and that even vegetable vendors themselves would never eat them.

Experts say that when you open the packaging of enoki mushrooms, you may smell a pungent odor. This is not because formaldehyde has been added, but because the temperature changes during transportation, causing the enoki mushrooms to switch from aerobic respiration to anaerobic respiration, which in turn produces some volatile aldehyde gases.

Is formaldehyde added to enoki mushrooms for bleaching? Actually, Japanese researchers discovered a genetic mutation in yellow enoki mushrooms, resulting in white enoki mushrooms, which they then preserved and cultivated. White enoki mushrooms not only have a better color but also grow faster and are more uniform in size.

Does strong chewing ability reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease?

The truth: There is no causal relationship between the two.

A recent study suggests that chewing ability can indicate the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease; the stronger a person's chewing ability, the younger their brain, and the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

This study only demonstrates a correlation between chewing ability and Alzheimer's disease, but it cannot yet clarify whether a causal relationship exists between the two. The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unclear in the medical community, but some risk factors have been identified. Aging is the biggest contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease, and the risk increases with age.

Prevention of this disease should start with the entire lifestyle. A healthy diet, controlling blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, and hand exercises such as playing the piano, typing on a keyboard, or picking up beans can effectively stimulate blood flow to the brain in these areas, which is very helpful in preventing and slowing down Alzheimer's disease.

Does a negative pressure isolation ward cause breathing difficulties for patients?

The truth: It will not cause any discomfort.

Negative pressure isolation wards have played an important role in treating COVID-19 patients, but some people online claim that negative pressure can cause breathing difficulties for patients.

In fact, the pressure difference between a negative pressure isolation ward and normal atmospheric pressure is not significant, and patients will not feel any discomfort in a negative pressure isolation ward. Because the air pressure inside a negative pressure isolation ward is lower than the air pressure outside the ward, air can only flow in one direction. This ensures that fresh outside air can flow into the ward when medical staff enter and exit, but contaminated air inside the ward will not spread outward. Contaminated air is not arbitrarily discharged, but is collected through special pipes and discharged to a designated location, where it undergoes multiple layers of filtration and disinfection before being released to the outside.

Seize the final warning before a stroke;

Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease characterized by high incidence, high disability rate, high mortality rate, and high recurrence rate. Stroke is divided into ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, with ischemic stroke accounting for 80% of acute strokes. If a blocked blood vessel is not repaired immediately, irreversible brain cell damage will occur if the brain tissue experiences complete ischemia within 6 minutes.

Experts warn that if you experience transient limb paralysis, weakness, speech impairment, or blindness, you should be extremely cautious. This could be your final warning, and the next stroke could lead to disability. Minor stroke refers to strokes with mild symptoms that are not disabling, primarily manifesting as transient limb paralysis or weakness, slurred speech, facial tilting, blurred vision, and dizziness. Once a minor stroke occurs, it's like planting a "bomb" in your body, leaving the patient at constant risk of recurrence. And once a stroke recurs, it can lead to more severe, irreversible disability or even death.

There are eight risk factors for stroke screening: hypertension, abnormal blood lipids, diabetes, smoking, atrial fibrillation, overweight or obesity, lack of exercise, and a family history of stroke. Having three or more of these eight factors qualifies someone as a high-risk individual for stroke. Those with a history of stroke or a history of short-duration ischemic stroke are considered extremely high-risk and require special intervention and preventative measures.

Experts recommend that to prevent stroke, one should have regular health checkups to identify potential risk factors early and control these factors, including quitting smoking, changing unhealthy eating habits, engaging in regular physical exercise, and losing weight.