‘Hungry and carried away’ 42-year-old gulps down scorching hot dish; drinks iced water to ease pain, is diagnosed next day
A Chinese woman developed an eight centimetre throat ulcer after eating hotpot too quickly, prompting her doctor to warn about the risks of such behaviour.
The 42-year-old, surnamed Wang, from Changsha in central China’s Hunan province, was diagnosed with an oesophageal ulcer after gulping down the food.
She said she was too “hungry and carried away” while chatting with friends over hotpot on a cool day in March.
She did not wait for the food to cool down after taking it from the pot, and swallowed it straight away.
Wang felt tightness in her chest at that moment and gulped iced water to comfort it. She felt better and did not take the situation seriously.
However, the next day, she experienced severe pain when swallowing even just water.
The Changsha Eighth Hospital discovered that Wang had developed an eight centimetre oesophageal ulcer, nearly one third the size of an adult oesophagus, which is 25 to 30cm.
Doctor Wu Xiaoqing said that people often wrongly think that the oesophagus is tolerant of high temperature, but it can only tolerate food up to about 50 to 60 degrees Celsius.
Food straight out of a hotpot dish might be as hot as 80 or 90 degrees Celsius.
In Wang’s case, the sensitive mucous membrane in her mouth made her swallow the hot food faster, which then burned her also sensitive oesophageal mucosa.
Also, Chinese people often drink cold water while having hotpot, believing that it might neutralise the heat.
Wu warned that such eating habits would further stimulate the oesophagus, harming its mucosa.
Luckily, if an oesophageal ulcer is treated in time, it will usually recover completely and not develop into cancer.
In the cases where the ulcer regularly relapses, there might be a cancerous risk.
Wang’s case, which was reported in May, sparked discussions online over the eating habits of Chinese people.
In China, people often believe it is healthy to eat while the food is still hot and drink hot water.
Hotpot is one of Chinese people’s favourite foods regardless of region.
The spicy hotpot originated in Sichuan and Chongqing is especially favoured, believed to trigger a distinct mix of burn, numbness and pleasure.
China has 40 per cent of the world’s oesophagus cancer cases and Chinese people’s preference for hot food is believed to be a major reason.
It was not until recent years that people began to learn that the food is not “the hotter the better”.
In fact, the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency listed beverages above 65 degrees Celsius as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
“It is true that some people love eating hot food, finding it tastier. I once ate hot tofu, burned my palate and was in pain for days,” said one online observer.
“We should change the old mindset that believes the food is best eaten hot,” said another.
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