Some people say that fern root powder is a natural wild plant, which is rich in nutrition and has the effects of clearing away heat and toxic materials, lowering blood fat and lowering blood pressure. But recently, many friends asked me and saw CCTV reports that bracken is carcinogenic and harmful to health after long-term consumption.
Is bracken a natural healthy food or a carcinogenic food? Which is the truth? Can I still eat bracken and bracken powder?
Is natural bracken healthier?
Some people say that Pteridium aquilinum is a natural plant, which contains a variety of natural plant ingredients, has health care effects such as clearing away heat and toxic materials, and is very beneficial to human health.
Pteridium aquilinum is indeed a natural wild vegetable. In many places, its shoots are regarded as vegetables, and starch is also extracted from its roots. However, the nutritional value of bracken is not as good as traditionally thought, and it has no special health care function.
In fact, bracken is not irreplaceable. As a physical food, many vegetables we often eat in our daily life can replace its nutritional functions, such as providing vitamins and minerals. And what we need to worry about is that there are natural toxic substances in bracken, which may cause cancer, so we should be careful when eating bracken products.
Is bracken really carcinogenic?
In fact, bracken is indeed carcinogenic. As early as the 1940s, scientists found that the incidence of chronic hematuria in cattle raised on lush pastures with bracken increased significantly. Later, it was gradually discovered that bracken can cause cancer in animals such as cattle and rats, and the carcinogenic risk of bracken was only concerned.
Why does bracken cause cancer? It was not until 1983 that Japanese scientists found the answer: there is a natural toxin called protopterin in bracken, which has strong carcinogenicity. In the population epidemiological study, scientists also found that eating bracken is related to malignant tumors such as gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. Based on this result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified Pteridium aquilinum as a class 2B carcinogen together with chloroform, dichlorvos and nitrobenzene. That is to say, there is clear evidence that bracken can cause cancer in animals, but the evidence from people is not sufficient.
Can bracken still be eaten?
Seeing this, many people are particularly worried: Can the delicious bracken and bracken root powder still be eaten?
In fact, Class 2B carcinogens only say the strength of evidence of carcinogenicity, which does not mean that eating bracken will definitely lead to cancer. You get some sunshine every day, don't you? Your friend in Beijing smoked a lot of smog. Would you like some wine for a dinner with friends? Ultraviolet rays in sunlight, air pollution and alcoholic beverages are all carcinogens of 1. We are not afraid of these. Why are we so afraid of Brecon?
The good news is that the processed bracken will also contain less protopterin and become safer. For example, after the tender leaves of Pteridium aquilinum are soaked, blanched, cooked and fried, the content of protopterin will be greatly reduced, from half to 90%. Moreover, the content of protopterin in different parts of Pteridium aquilinum is also very different. The content of protopterin in young leaves of Pteridium aquilinum is about 10 times of that in roots. If you are really worried, you can rest assured by eating less bracken leaves.
Fern root powder is starch extracted from the roots of wild ferns. Therefore, the risk of fern root powder is smaller than that of fresh fern, and properly handled fern does not necessarily have great risks.
And whether cancer really occurs in real life is often the result of many factors and years of interaction. In addition to the role of carcinogens, genetic factors, living habits, living environment and other factors have an impact on whether cancer occurs.
Another article in Science says that two-thirds of tumors are caused by bad luck, that is, genes.
For example, some people don't smoke much and die of lung cancer early, while some heavy smokers are still alive in their seventies and eighties. This is actually the embodiment of the diversity and complexity of cancer causes. Therefore, you don't have to worry too much about eating fern root powder occasionally.
How much is safe to eat
Seeing this, some people may feel relieved again and plan to eat several plates of bracken and bracken root powder to suppress shock. No, don't be too proud! Although a large part of cancer is related to genes, a healthy lifestyle is still important.
Don't forget, the carcinogenic intensity of carcinogens is inseparable from the intake dose. Even if Pteridium aquilinum is only a class 2B carcinogen, long-term consumption in large quantities is not balanced, but may increase the risk of cancer. So, how much is reasonable and safe to eat?
Some people still want to give a clear quantity, which is easier to operate. However, there is no clear "safe dose" for the carcinogenicity of bracken, and scientists can't give a clear answer. For the public, we can only say that in order to reduce the risk of cancer, it is recommended to eat bracken as little as possible.
Of course, appetite is also a great pleasure in life. If you really like the delicious bracken and bracken root powder, it doesn't hurt to try it. But if you don't like bracken from the beginning, there is no need to deliberately taste a novel thing, and don't overeat because you blindly believe in the health care function of bracken.
Generally speaking, bracken, unlike others, is a pure natural wild food, which is non-toxic and pollution-free, and has no magical health care function. What we need to pay more attention to is that Pteridium aquilinum is an unhealthy food with potential carcinogenic effects. As the general public, we'd better try to eat less bracken and bracken food. If you want to eat, try to control your appetite and try to stop.