Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says

[webfact]

Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says

By Keng Na Songkla

 

Dr. Sutat Duangdeeden was the lead speaker at the Chonburi Cancer Hospital’s 8th annual cancer seminar at the A-One Royal Cruise Hotel.

  

CHONBURI: -- Thais’ love of somtam is leading to higher cancer rates and deaths, the head of the Chonburi Cancer Hospital told medical professionals in Pattaya.

 

Dr. Sutat Duangdeeden was the lead speaker at the center’s 8th annual cancer seminar at the A-One Royal Cruise Hotel.

 

Sutat said rates of deaths caused by cancer in Thailand have increased in recent years with 60,000 cases now reported annually. Fatality rates also are increasing.

 

While he noted that causes of cancer vary, Thais’ love of “pla ra” or raw fish used in somtam, as well as other undercooked foods are responsible for increased rates of worm infections, which can lead to liver cancer.

 

Cervical cancer, he added, is now the deadliest disease for woman, even though most cases are preventable.

 

Nearly all cervical cancer is due to human papillomavirus infections with two types, HPV16 and HPV18, accounting for 70 percent of cases. Between 60-90 percent of other cancers also are linked to HPV. Cervical cancer kills 5,000 Thai women a year and 10,000 new cases are reported.

 

Full story: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/somtam-slowly-killing-many-thais-cancer-center-says-172563

 

-- © Copyright Pattaya Mail 2017-05-05

 

 

[Eric Loh]

I would say the same caution to eating all forms of raw sea-water fishes even salmon. Singapore had an outbreak of Stretococcus infection last year with 2 fatalities. 

[Somtamnication]

My wife giving up somtam? Never!

[nursebobrmn]

i tried to edumacate my wife of the perils of raw fish in somtam, it fell on deaf ears. maybe she will die of the big C before i do.

[overherebc]

Never been a fan of thai food myself and never understood the reasoning behind eating food that has so much chilli in it. 

It always strikes me as strange that food should bring on a sweating session, red face and a need to drink litres of water to kill/cool off the burn. More like a competition than enjoyment. Locally I sometimes have TomYam Kung and ask them to bring the chilli in another side dish. Usually they bring 15 or so chillies in the dish for one bowl of soup.

Someone at the table will be happy to have them and add to their own bowl then sit there gasping, sweating and saying Aroi Aroi.

No way can that be good for your stomach lining or intestines over a lifetime.

[jaltsc]

"While he noted that causes of cancer vary, Thais’ love of “pla ra” or raw fish used in somtam, as well as other undercooked foods are responsible for increased rates of worm infections, which can lead to liver cancer."

 

At best, he is illustrating an association, but not a cause and effect scenario.  Considering all the other unhealthy habits and environmental conditions associated with Thai lifestyle (High sodium and Sugar intake, High consumption of reused oil, use of agricultural sprays which have been banned in western nations, tobacco use, lack of adequate exercise, etc.) I find it unrealistic to blame one isolated micro factor. Perhaps further scientific research might isolate the main causes. However, I doubt many can effectively argue that an immediate reduction in the consumption of of the foods containing the elements mentioned above, better regulation of agricultural products, more exercise, etc. would not benefit many Thais. Sometimes common sense is the first step, especially when there are minimal negative side effects associated with those changes in lifestyle. 

Edited May 5, 2017 by jaltsc

[trogers]

Perhaps somtam should only be sold like cigarettes, with those gory photos of tumors and cancers...

[ezzra]

This doctor should really look at the big picture, what kill Thai people

now more than ever is the rich processed westernized food diet

they never partake  back in the old days in the villages and rural life....

[Bluespunk]

20 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Never been a fan of thai food myself and never understood the reasoning behind eating food that has so much chilli in it. 

It always strikes me as strange that food should bring on a sweating session, red face and a need to drink litres of water to kill/cool off the burn. More like a competition than enjoyment. Locally I sometimes have TomYam Kung and ask them to bring the chilli in another side dish. Usually they bring 15 or so chillies in the dish for one bowl of soup.

Someone at the table will be happy to have them and add to their own bowl then sit there gasping, sweating and saying Aroi Aroi.

No way can that be good for your stomach lining or intestines over a lifetime.

Reminds me of a friend at university back in the day.

 

After a night out we'd all head to a local curry place and order whatever. This guy had a thing about eating the hottest thing on the menu, didn't give a toss what it was so long as it was hot.

 

Mostly he'd get a vindaloo, but one evening after we been a rather long session he was a bit more belligerent than usual and started mouthing off that vindaloos weren't that hot and we were all pussies-or words to that effect. The staff [I'm guessing] took offence at this and told him there was an especially hot curry called a tindaloo, but was too hot for most people.

 

Man, he went off on a big one and started demanding he be given this. The staff eventually agreed and walked away with huge grins on their faces.

 

When the dish finally arrived, I swear it was curry sauce, mystery meat and more chillies than I've ever seen in my life. The thing glowed. You could feel the heat coming off it [well maybe that's just my imagination but that's how it felt]

 

My mate started eating it and immediately began sweating like a dog in heat. He was dripping and his whole face took on a bright red shine. He was clearly in pain but wouldn't admit it and ate the whole thing [well most of it]. Kept on claiming it was ok though.

 

The next day was hell for him and he spent most of the day in the toilet.

 

Funny thing is, he never went to that curry place again. I'd like to say he calmed down a bit on the hotter the better shtick, but he never did.

 

He was a bit of <deleted> if I'm honest though. 

[darksidedog]

28 minutes ago, trogers said:

Perhaps somtam should only be sold like cigarettes, with those gory photos of tumors and cancers...

Would that mean that you would have to buy 20 at a time?

[ChrisY1]

I wouldn't think there would be iota of evidence, or, that there is any science at all to back this good doctors statements....with 60,000 people dying annually from cancer of varying forms, to blame somtam, seems a rather off the cuff statement.

Detection methods of determining disease has improved greatly as have treatments......maybe more people are taking advantage of the 30 baht scheme....whatever, there a host of reasons.

[Salerno]

19 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

... especially hot curry called a tindaloo, but was too hot for most people.

Been there done that (blame it on alcohol and peer pressure!). Was hell eating it ... but eating it had nothing on excreting it! 

[overherebc]

12 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Reminds me of a friend at university back in the day.

 

After a night out we'd all head to a local curry place and order whatever. This guy had a thing about eating the hottest thing on the menu, didn't give a toss what it was so long as it was hot.

 

Mostly he'd get a vindaloo, but one evening after we been a rather long session he was a bit more belligerent than usual and started mouthing off that vindaloos weren't that hot and we were all pussies-or words to that effect. The staff [I'm guessing] took offence at this and told him there was an especially hot curry called a tindaloo, but was too hot for most people.

 

Man, he went off on a big one and started demanding he be given this. The staff eventually agreed and walked away with huge grins on their faces.

 

When the dish finally arrived, I swear it was curry sauce, mystery meat and more chillies than I've ever seen in my life. The thing glowed. You could feel the heat coming off it [well maybe that's just my imagination but that's how it felt]

 

My mate started eating it and immediately began sweating like a dog in heat. He was dripping and his whole face took on a bright red shine. He was clearly in pain but wouldn't admit it and ate the whole thing [well most of it]. Kept on claiming it was ok though.

 

The next day was hell for him and he spent most of the day in the toilet.

 

Funny thing is, he never went to that curry place again. I'd like to say he calmed down a bit on the hotter the better shtick, but he never did.

 

He was a bit of <deleted> if I'm honest though. 

Not a ' my black cat ' story but I know a Kiwi 'hero' who did similar here and ended up in Bumrungrad for a night. Eating raw chillies and calling everyone else wimps.

Very quiet about it afterwards.

I have met a few older Thai people in the north east who were always complaining of stomach and gut problems after what I call years of chilli abuse.

It really can't be good for you.

Chilli has only been here for a couple of hundred years I think

, ( anyone know the dates) brought originally from West Indies and replaced pepper which I like, especially Kampot pepper.

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Been there done that (blame it on alcohol and peer pressure!). Was hell eating it ... but eating it had nothing on excreting it! 

Toilet roll in the freezer is a good idea.

????

[Dmaxdan]

Never been a fan of thai food myself and never understood the reasoning behind eating food that has so much chilli in it. 
It always strikes me as strange that food should bring on a sweating session, red face and a need to drink litres of water to kill/cool off the burn. More like a competition than enjoyment. Locally I sometimes have TomYam Kung and ask them to bring the chilli in another side dish. Usually they bring 15 or so chillies in the dish for one bowl of soup.
Someone at the table will be happy to have them and add to their own bowl then sit there gasping, sweating and saying Aroi Aroi.
No way can that be good for your stomach lining or intestines over a lifetime.

Well sweating is body's way of cooling down, and remember that most Thai people don't naturally sweat as much as us Farangs.
So there is a certain logo as to why hot countries such as Thailand have a spicy cuisine.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Bluespunk]

3 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Been there done that (blame it on alcohol and peer pressure!). Was hell eating it ... but eating it had nothing on excreting it! 

Based on the noises coming from the bathroom the next day, this guy went through hell and back again as well.

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Bluespunk

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, overherebc said:

Toilet roll in the freezer is a good idea.

????

Not eating the real hot stuff is a better one...

[overherebc]

8 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Well sweating is body's way of cooling down, and remember that most Thai people don't naturally sweat as much as us Farangs.
So there is a certain logo as to why hot countries such as Thailand have a spicy cuisine.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

See last post on chilli. It's an introduced plant to Thailand. Only a few hundred years if that long.

Seems like 16th century to India and a little bit later to other countries in the area.

Edited May 5, 2017 by overherebc

[bendejo]

Recently saw a food&travel show that showed a place around Chiang Mai where pig bile was served.  Even the (farang) host, who will eat anything, balked at that one. 

Not many places in the world where people eat raw or semi-cooked pig products deliberately, as a prepared dish.  Some people figured that one out thousands of years ago.

 

I've never gotten sick from som tam, I don't think so.  My guess it has something to do with the vinegar sanitizing the rest of the ingredients.

 

 

[Dmaxdan]

See last post on chilli. It's an introduced plant to Thailand. Only a few hundred years if that long.
Seems like 16th century to India and a little bit later to other countries in the area.

That's absolutely correct. But if you read the history of Thai cooking then you will learn that before chillies were introduced Thais would use ingredients such as fresh peppercorns and various roots like ginger to spice their food. Of course once the chilli arrived, everything would have changed and Thai cooking as we know it today would have evolved.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[clockman]

Small amount compared with road deaths. Which seems not to concern anybody?

[survivalblue]

Papaya papaya, som tum love you pok pok

[Oink]

There is nothing wrong with Somtam, unless you are a chill wimp, in which case ask them not to put chilies in it.

I think the problem is if you have it with little crabs all smashed up. I recall an report years ago where a western woman had a worm come out of her forehead. She had got the worm from eating crabs in Sontam. It had tunneled, under her skin, all the way up to her head.

Enjoy!

[JHolmesJr]

vile stuff….much prefer thai mango salad.

[leeneeds]

The Nepalese eat mountains of very hot chillies to combat the cold, 

at high altitude, I wonder if a correlation of cancer fatalities has been done,

Japanese also eat mountains of raw fish as do the Russians, 

one would believe  DNA has a lot to do with certain cancers, 

Blaming a fish meal is a bit of a stretch on the truth.

[daveAustin]

Go to any Thai hospital with a stomach issue and note how long you have to wait. It ain't good, folks; all that dodgy water food, spice, flavourings etc.

[overherebc]

15 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

That's absolutely correct. But if you read the history of Thai cooking then you will learn that before chillies were introduced Thais would use ingredients such as fresh peppercorns and various roots like ginger to spice their food. Of course once the chilli arrived, everything would have changed and Thai cooking as we know it today would have evolved.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I did mention previously pepper before they had chilli. 

If you haven't tried it I seriously suggest Kampot pepper. Nice and hot without the lingering burn of chilli and a really nice aroma.

At one time it was almost wiped out in Cambodia because most places that farmed it were French owned and when they were moved out their crops and farms were destroyed.

Coming back now in Cambo' thank goodness.

[Bluespunk]

13 minutes ago, clockman said:

Small amount compared with road deaths. Which seems not to concern anybody?

Treating cancer is expensive...

[Hereinthailand]

Its a well known fact this raw fish is killing many people here unnecessarily. Been in the news many times in the past. Thais know it but just dont understand it.

 http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33095945

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/food-gives-you-liver-cancer/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thai-doctors-try-to-put-people-off-fish-dish-that-can-cause-liver-cancer-10319058.html

Its not a joke as some of you seem to make it out to be.

[Briggsy]

The article is very poorly written.

 

There appear to be 2 unrelated points.

 

The first is the incidence of cases of liver cancer caused by long term liver fluke infection. This infection is caused by the eating of uncooked fish.

 

The second is the incidence of cervical cancer.

 

The headline is related to the first point only. I can see no link between som tam and cervical cancer. Even then the headline is significantly misleading. The author could have pointed to the more accurate reasons e.g.

 

Failure to pasteurise or cook fish/pla ra

Failure to detect and cure long term liver fluke infections

Failure to have a systemic public health policy in liver fluke areas

 

are slowly killing many Thais.

 

I eat som tam. I do not use pla ra. Most vendors use the pasteurised stuff. I suspect the infections stem from homemade fermented fish. Pla ra is used in many dishes.