Does smoking and holding urine increase the risk of bladder cancer? Can frequent urination prevent bladder cancer?

Everyone has had the experience of holding urine. Little do people know that this small "bad habit" can damage an important organ of the human body - the bladder, and in severe cases can even cause bladder cancer. But most people are not aware of this. Bladder cancer is second only to prostate cancer in the incidence of male urinary system tumors, and bladder cancer also increases the possibility of developing other cancers, so you must be highly vigilant.

Holding urine is one of the most important causes of bladder cancer

Carcinogens in urine can damage bladder fibers and destroy the normal structure of cells, causing malignant changes. Even if urine is discharged every hour, it will contain much more carcinogens than urine discharged every two or three hours. This means that the longer you hold your urine, the greater the possibility of cancer, which may be why men are much more likely to develop bladder cancer than women. 99% of patients diagnosed with bladder cancer are over 55 years old, and men are four times more likely to develop bladder cancer than women.

Those who smoke all year round should pay more attention. Bladder cancer caused by smoking accounts for 50%-60% of the total number of cases. And as the amount of smoking increases and the smoking age increases, the risk of bladder cancer also increases accordingly. Therefore, if you want to prevent bladder cancer, the first thing is to stay away from tobacco.

In addition, drinking plenty of water and urinating frequently are the best preventive measures.

Researchers at Harvard University in the United States conducted a 10-year follow-up study on nearly 50,000 American men aged 40-75 and found that those who drank 6 large cups of boiled water a day had a 50% lower risk of bladder cancer than those who only drank 1 large cup. This may be because the liquid will excrete carcinogens from the body before they act on the bladder, thereby reducing the chance of them attaching to the bladder wall. It is particularly important to remind you that water must be boiled before drinking. When the water temperature is 90°C, the content of carcinogens halogenated hydrocarbons and chloroform in the water will increase, exceeding the national drinking water hygiene standard by 2 times; and when the water temperature reaches 100°C, these two harmful substances will be greatly reduced as the steam evaporates. If you continue to boil for 3 minutes, it can be safely drunk. In addition, in terms of daily diet, people who often eat cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, radish, cabbage, rapeseed, shepherd's purse, and fresh fruits such as kiwi, fig, banana, and jujube, will be away from bladder cancer.

Hematuria is often the first symptom of bladder cancer

However, many people often hastily think that hematuria is caused by urinary tract infection, kidney disease, urethral stones or prostate problems, and do not take it seriously after the antibiotics are effective, which delays the diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, if unexplained hematuria occurs, it must not be taken lightly, and the cause should be identified in time. If pelvic or waist pain, urinary pain or slow urine flow also occur, it is even more important to seek medical attention in time.