Posted in: Cancer by Dr. Tarang Krishna Posted Date: 09 Oct, 2015
A person addicted to betel quid (paan) and areca nut (supari) can be easily identified with his/her reddish black teeth which are a result of chewing betel quid and areca nut from ages. Since there is no regulatory body monitoring its sales or imposing restriction on sale to an age bracket, right from a small child to an adult everyone is consuming it freely. But an addiction to betel nut could lead to catastrophic consequences on the body.
Betel Nuts and Oral Cancer
The WHO (World Health Organization) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified betel nuts as carcinogens which means creation of cancer. Some other studies have shown that betel nuts consumption could lead a person to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and obesity.
Health Danger of Betel Nuts
- Betel Nuts addicted people stays at a higher risk of oral submucuous fibrosis (a pre-cancerous condition).
- Regular addiction of betel nut could cause stiffness in the mouth and in the long time the same could lead to the loss of jaw movement.
- Frequent intake of betel quid wrapped around areca nut could cause toxic reactions in the body.
- Also, the regular consumption of betel nut reduces the effects of medications.
- People chewing tobacco wrapped in betel leaf are 5 times more at risk of developing oral cancer.
Not only betel quid with areca nut is harmful but now cancer experts have also found that gulping down of plain betel nuts too could lead to complications. Hence, they busted the myth that regular intake of plain betel nuts is not injurious to health.
Once in a while gobbling down a sweet paan with sweet suparis does not have any harm. Making it a daily habit could lead to lot many complications in the body and once the person is diagnosed with some disease it could leave a person with guilt.