[Health Tip] Hot Soup in Cold Winter? "It May Threaten Stomach and Blood Pressure Health"

As the full onset of winter cold arrives, more people are seeking warm soup dishes. However, excessive consumption of soup dishes can harm health, so caution is necessary.

The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Image provided by Pixabay]

According to Kyung Hee University Hospital on the 2nd, soup dishes are among foods with high salt (sodium) content due to their menu characteristics. As winter temperatures drop, people tend to seek soup dishes, but salt can be fatal to stomach health.

Professor Jang Jaeyoung of the Department of Gastroenterology at Kyung Hee University Hospital pointed out, "Korea is a representative country with a high incidence of stomach cancer, and Korean-specific eating habits greatly influence this. Salty and spicy foods contain many carcinogens such as nitrites, so excessive intake can cause inflammation of the gastric mucosa and induce adenocarcinoma."

Adenocarcinoma originates from the gastric mucosa and is the source of most stomach cancers. If inflammation of the gastric mucosa persists, gastric cells are destroyed, leading to atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia. These are precancerous lesions that cause stomach cancer, making early detection crucial; however, the early stages of stomach cancer are mostly asymptomatic, which is problematic.

Professor Jang said, "Stomach cancer can be accurately and promptly diagnosed through endoscopic examination, and Korea's early stomach cancer cure rate is over 95%. Therefore, if you have symptoms such as heartburn or indigestion and have not recently undergone an endoscopy, it is better to visit a hospital quickly rather than taking medication arbitrarily. To prevent stomach cancer, lifestyle habits, especially minimizing spicy and salty stimulating foods, and consuming fruits and vegetables high in antioxidant enzymes and dietary fiber, should be carefully managed."

Salt in soup dishes is also not good for hypertension patients. Hypertension is a representative disease that requires lifestyle modifications such as improved eating habits, regular exercise, and smoking cessation. However, in winter, fluctuating blood pressure due to indoor-outdoor temperature differences, reduced activity from the cold, and excessive sodium intake can make blood pressure management difficult.

Professor Woo Jongsin of the Cardiovascular Center at Kyung Hee University Hospital advised, "Sudden cold activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing vasoconstriction and raising blood pressure. This does not simply end with elevated blood pressure but can worsen into cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke, so special caution is needed." He added, "Winter is one of the most challenging seasons for blood pressure patients who need to maintain sodium intake at appropriate levels through a low-sodium diet."

The appropriate sodium intake level is less than 120 mg of sodium per 100g of food. Most soup dishes like gukbap and jjigae contain very high sodium levels. Frequent consumption of foods with high sodium content also increases cravings for sweet foods, which can lead to overweight and obesity.

Professor Woo said, "If blood pressure remains uncontrolled and elevated for a long time, complications such as heart failure, stroke, and renal failure, as well as death, can occur. Therefore, careful blood pressure management in winter is essential. Excessive salt intake raises blood pressure, so minimizing the consumption of gukbap and jjigae is recommended. Also, to avoid large indoor-outdoor temperature differences, it is advisable to wear several thin layers of clothing or pay attention to keeping warm when going from a warm indoor environment to the cold outdoors."

Professor Jae-Young Jang (left) of the Department of Gastroenterology at Kyung Hee University Hospital and Professor Jong-Shin Woo of the Cardiovascular Center.
[Photo by Kyung Hee University Hospital]