Fastening your seat belt a notch below is a real healthy gesture. Indeed, this harmless little habit would reduce the risk of throat and esophageal cancer.
A new study by researchers at the University of Glasgow found that “ people who wear a belt that is too tight are more at risk of developing esophageal cancer“.
Scientists led by Professor Kenneth McColl of the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and Medical Sciences worked with 24 volunteers who had no history of gastric reflux.
The patients are followed a food protocol and gastric measurements were carried out after each of their meals. The researchers compared these results while the volunteers wore a belt, tight or not.
They discovered that “wearing a tight belt, especially if you are overweight puts pressure on the valve between your stomach and esophagus. This forces the acid from the stomach to move upwards into the esophagus. But, unlike the stomach, which is designed to withstand it, the esophagus is damaged by acid. It causes burns and in the longer term possibly cancer“. This is because stomach acid damages cells in the esophagus which are therefore more likely to become cancerous. This finding is especially pronounced in overweight people.
Cancers of the esophagus are responsible for 5,200 deaths per year in France. 90% of them (squamous cell carcinomas) are linked to the consumption of alcohol and tobacco and 10% (adenocarcinomas) are associated with lesions due to gastroesophageal reflux disease and obesity.
