During a physical examination in the hospital, Su found a small lump above the right breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer.

When Su was still considering whether to have breast cancer treatment, her friend Zhou sold her a health food, and claimed that eating the health food can make the cancer patient's tumor smaller and make the small tumor disappear, even if there is no tumor, it can prevent and cure diseases and prolong life after eating.

苏某信以为真，先后向周某采购了5万多元的保健食品。

After Su ate these health foods, his condition did not improve significantly, but missed the best time for treatment, and in less than 3 years, breast cancer metastasized to the liver and lungs, and his condition deteriorated and he died.

Cases like Su's delay, which delayed his illness because he took health food as medicine, have occurred from time to time in recent years. Are health foods effective? How to choose safely?

1. Is health food a health care product? Is it reliable?

Many people have the stereotype of "health food = health supplement", but in fact, health food and health supplement cannot be confused.

Liu Hongyu, Director of the Health Food Process Standards Evaluation Department of the Food Evaluation Center of the State Administration for Market RegulationAt present, there is no legal definition of "health care products" in China's food safety laws and regulations, and health care products are generally the general name of products that claim to have certain health care effects by the general public and the media, including underwear, mattresses, instruments, physiotherapy instruments, etc.

According to the definition of "National Food Safety Standard Health Food" (GB16740).Health food refers to food that claims to have specific health functions or is intended to supplement vitamins and minerals. Health food has a clear legal positioning, it is a food not a drug, and it is suitable for healthy and sub-healthy people.

So is the domestic health food safe?Due to some behaviors in the market, such as false exaggerated publicity, false function claims, counterfeiting and selling, and illegal additions, it may lead to a decline in people's trust in health food.

Wan Chaozeng, Director of the Health Food Registration Division of the Special Food Safety Supervision and Administration Department of the State Administration for Market RegulationIt said that the health food industry as a whole is stable and improving, the pass rate of national supervision and sampling inspection is more than 98%, and the problem of illegal addition has been effectively curbed.

Second, 5 kinds of health foods that have been blown into the sky, distinguish them carefully

With people's attention to health, many people have a variety of health foods with different effects in their homes, and they will always buy some health foods to honor the elders in the family, but have you ever thought about whether these health foods are really needed?

1. Protein powder

Over the years, many merchants have claimed that eating protein powder can grow muscles, and no matter how fat or thin, you should supplement some protein, so protein powder has begun to sell well.

But in reality, healthy adults need 1 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day,It is completely possible to meet with a normal dietThere is no need to supplement protein powder, and there is no need to spend two or three hundred yuan to buy a can of 400 grams of protein powder.

2. Grape seeds

Merchants claim that grape seeds can resist oxidation, delay aging, and can fight cancer, so all kinds of "grape seed oil" and "grape seed powder" are also selling quite hot.

Although there are many experimental data that have found that grape seed extract has the effect of inhibiting cancer cells, the premise of these conclusions is that "in vitro experiments can inhibit cancer cells".

And "in vitro experiments" are not the same as "effective in vivo", which can only indicate that more in-depth studies can be carried out on the characteristics of cancer cells, at presentThere is no evidence that grape seed extract inhibits cancer cells in the body.

3. Fish oil

In the major health care product counters, fish oil will always be in the forefront of best-selling health care products. Is fish oil really that good for the body? In fact, fish oil comes from fish, and fish oil purification technology is not stable.Eating fish is more straightforward and effective than eating fish oil。

Fish not only contains fish oil, but also is rich in high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals and other trace elements, and the saturated fatty acids in fish meat are also very low, which is beneficial to cardiovascular health.

4. Sea cucumbers

In people's impression, sea cucumber is an excellent health food, not only high in protein, but also can make people eat more and more healthy, and the sea cucumber sold in restaurants is valuable. However, in fact, although the protein content of sea cucumbers is high, the quality is not high.The absorption rate of amino acids in the protein contained in sea cucumber is not high in the human body。

If you want to supplement protein, instead of eating sea cucumber, it is better to eat eggs, eggs are the most in line with the human body's amino acid pattern of food, even soy products and vegetables, its protein is better than sea cucumber in quality and quantity.

5. Enzymes

In recent years, enzymes are also a popular health food, and many businesses claim that it can help with weight loss, detoxification and beauty. As a matter of fact"Enzyme" is just the Japanese name for "enzyme".。 Generally speaking, it is difficult for enzymes to survive in a very acidic stomach environment, and there are pepsin in the stomach that can cut the enzyme, and there are more aggressive proteases in the small intestine.The enzyme is basically inactive, it doesn't have much effect after eating.

3. Category 4 people can take it in moderationHealth food

Professor Yu Kang from the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital pointed out that when eating health food, we must grasp the "quantity" and "degree", and we cannot replace eating well with health food, otherwise it is easy to lead to lack or imbalance of energy and nutrient intake, and even cause malnutrition. However, the following 4 groups of people can take health food in moderation.

1. Folic acid supplementation for women who are trying to conceive and during pregnancy

A large number of clinical studies have found that a lack of folic acid during pregnancy may lead to multisystem malformations in the fetus.

Therefore, obstetricians and gynecologists recommend starting folic acid at the first 8 months of pregnancy. There are many specifications of common folic acid, and women who are trying to conceive and pregnant generally choose 0.0-0.0 mg of folic acid, but the specific dosage should be taken according to the doctor's instructions.

2. Calcium supplementation tablets for pregnant women and the elderly

Women are responsible for the nutrition of "two people" during pregnancy and lactation, and once calcium deficiency will not only affect their own health, but also may affect the healthy development of the baby. As the elderly age, the loss of calcium in the body will also increase significantly, and there are often problems with teeth and gastrointestinal function, so more calcium needs to be supplemented from exogenous.

Therefore, pregnant women and the elderly can take calcium supplements appropriately under the guidance of a doctor if they cannot ensure adequate calcium intake from food and there are no relevant contraindications.

3. Vitamin D supplementation for infants and young children

Vitamin D can help infants and young children maintain normal neuromuscular function and healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency in infants and young children may lead to rickets, obstructive spasms, and osteomalacia.

Due to the low vitamin D content in infant food and the relatively short time of sun exposure, additional vitamin D supplementation is required.

It is generally recommended that vitamin D supplementation should be started around 2 weeks of life as prescribed. The specific age to be supplemented can be based on the child's health status, outdoor activities, local climate characteristics, other contraindications and other factors, and the doctor will give targeted advice.

12. Vegetarians should pay attention to vitamin B0 intake

Vitamin B12 is found in foods such as beef, eggs, fish, milk, and liver. If you eat a vegetarian diet for a long time and do not arrange your diet reasonably, it is easy to develop vitamin B0 deficiency, which may lead to malnutrition, anemia and neurological diseases.

Therefore, it is recommended that vegetarians can eat fermented soy products such as fermented bean curd, tempeh, stinky tofu, bean paste, soy sauce and other fermented soy products to supplement vitamin B12, and if necessary, they can also follow the doctor's instructions to take vitamin B0 supplements.

Fourth, buy health care products scientifically, remember a few principles

In the face of a dazzling array of health care products, how should we choose scientifically? Here are a few principles to follow.

First of all, we must have a correct understanding of health care products and beware of false propaganda。 Health food can only regulate body functions to a certain extent, improve sub-health status and reduce the risk of disease, although it has a certain auxiliary role in the treatment of some diseases, butIt should never be used as a substitute for therapeutic drugs。

If you are sick, you should go to a regular hospital for standardized treatment as soon as possible, and health care products should also be taken scientifically after consulting a doctor.

If the promotion of health care products contains curative effects such as "radical cure" and "best cure", absolute terms, as evidenced by the name of academic institutions or patients, assertion words such as "recovery" and "disappearance", these are false propaganda and illegal acts, and consumers should pay attention to distinguish and avoid being deceived.

And then there'sBe mindful of how much you serve。 Any health food should be eaten according to the prescribed consumption amount, and should not be eaten as ordinary food, otherwise it may bring acute and chronic harm to the human body.

Finally, it should be purchased on the regular trackbuy。 When buying health care products, you should go to legal pharmacies, shopping malls, etc., so that you can have quality and after-sales guarantees. If the subject and business address of the purchase channel are unknown, or most of them are consumed in different places, it is often difficult to investigate once there is a problem, and it is more likely that they will lose their money.

Health food is food, not medicine, and cannot replace medicine or formal treatment. If you want to improve your health, you still need to combine it with a reasonable diet and regular work and rest, as well as standardized treatment. When buying health food, don't be affected by the propaganda of the business, but see if the health food is what you need, and it is best to take health care products under the guidance of a doctor.

Resources:

[29] Health food = health product = medicine? Your misunderstanding of health food is too great!.Health Times, 0-0-0

[26] I advise you not to eat these "home-read" health products!.Endocrinology Channel in the Medical Community, 0-0-0

[21] Health care products are not suitable for everyone, but these 0 types of people should pay attention to supplementing!.Eat three meals a day public account, 0-0-0

Reproduction without the author's permission is prohibited