Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

unhealthy eating habits

July 9, 2013 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Kathrin Hamann

Hello!
My colleague and I had an extremely long workday today and had not eaten anything since breakfast. We were completely starving.
When I got home, I not only ate the first food in 11 hours, but practically gulped it down. Among other things, I ate two cans of fish and a 250g pack of meat salad. I really almost didn't chew at all.
When I told my colleague about this on the phone, he said that such an action could cause stomach or colon cancer, as the unchewed pork from the salad would linger in the stomach/intestinal area for too long.
I could imagine feeling discomfort, stomach pain, or something similar from eating food that was gulped down and barely chewed - but cancer? I really hope my colleague was mistaken about that.
Nevertheless, he managed to make me constantly think about the possibility of having gotten cancer from unchewed meat salad and other food.
As I said, I hope my colleague is wrong and I would appreciate an expert opinion.

Regards,
Kai

Dr. med. Kathrin Hamann

Good evening Kai,

First of all, I want to reassure you. Swallowing food without chewing it properly certainly does not cause cancer.
In the mouth (chewing), the food is already partially digested (salivary enzymes for digestion) and broken down, so that the nutrients can be better absorbed.
If you do not chew and break down the food properly, the stomach has to take over, which can cause discomfort / upset stomach, but certainly does not cause cancer. I can assure you of that.

Do you have any questions about this? I am happy to help you.

All the best and always remember to chew properly, even when you have a strong desire to eat. The slower you eat, the quicker you will feel full.

Best regards,
Dr. K. Hamann