Thread: Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says

Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says

Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says

Thais’ love of somtam is leading to higher cancer rates and deaths, the head of the Chonburi Cancer Hospital told medical professionals in Pattaya.

Dr. Sutat Duangdeeden was the lead speaker at the center’s 8th annual cancer seminar at the A-One Royal Cruise Hotel.

Sutat said rates of deaths caused by cancer in Thailand have increased in recent years with 60,000 cases now reported annually. Fatality rates also are increasing.

While he noted that causes of cancer vary, Thais’ love of “pla ra” or raw fish used in somtam, as well as other undercooked foods are responsible for increased rates of worm infections, which can lead to liver cancer.

Cervical cancer, he added, is now the deadliest disease for woman, even though most cases are preventable.

Nearly all cervical cancer is due to human papillomavirus infections with two types, HPV16 and HPV18, accounting for 70 percent of cases. Between 60-90 percent of other cancers also are linked to HPV. Cervical cancer kills 5,000 Thai women a year and 10,000 new cases are reported.

While a vaccine is available for HPV, the price remains too high for many Thais, Sutat said, adding that it should become more affordable in the near future.

Pattaya City Hall recently announced that schoolgirls as young as fifth grade will be given free the series of shots needed over six months to prevent HPV.

Somtam slowly killing many Thais, cancer center says - PattayaOne

Always thought of somtam as very overrated. Confused at the national obsession.

I never eat the stuff.

Yep Somtam has to be blamed for the rise in Cancer rates.

Nothing to do with the aging population,or possibly the introduction of killer western food.

^
I blame KFC ,


































I wish I had a big bucket of their chicken right now ,

Hope the Chicken is Halal slaughtered..

I hope Za is okay...Heh...

^
Oh fook Za loves that stuff ,

^ Shake a tail feather, Snakey...What time is it where you are?...

^
9 pm now vodka time ,

I thought it might be Bushmills ye'd be slurping.

I carn't see a Thai version of this article being widely circulated and shared among Thais on social media.

What would a somtamaholic say?

Lots of prayers.

And a bottle of strawberry tango for buddha..

Yup, that too.

Then off to buy another amulet.

OK I stop to eat somtam after today...but pa ra? issan people use pa ra for cooking...hmmm ...

Woah! Hold the phone. Not.

Jeeze the link between a specific form of liver cancer and the parasite in plaa rah used in somtam has been known for, 20 years? 30 years?

Medication to free from the parasite is well known, and cheap as chips.

F*ck all difference as it is completely ignored by all and sundry.

Any Thai freshwater farmed fish and rice field crabs live in a mix of faeces and chemical polluted runoff water, bore water and river drawn water.

If you do eat the fish and crabs or crab eggs, make sure that it's all well cooked to kill off the flukes.

Some of my Thai friends are starting to tune into less intensive organic fish farming using hill drawn fresh water, or deep bore water mixed with stored rainwater from (planned) huge, underground newly constructed rainwater storage tanks, the mainly seasonal rainwater being drawn from guttered roofs of all the farm buildings.

The water is recycled, filtered, then passed through transparent plastic water pipes exposed to the high daily UV radiation so killing off many of the inherent bioforms in the water, before it's re-oxygenated by spraying it back into the fish ponds.
The superior food value of these fish is hoped to make up an income based on quality not quantity of harvested fish.

The biggest problem they face is the neighbours pinching their fish!

Yeah, sensationalist reporting as the problem is plaa raa, not somtam.

And the plaa raa problem has been known for decades.

Somtam Thai doesn't have pla ra. The cook might throw in those nasty freshwater crabs if you don't tell them otherwise.

I love somtum thai khai kem...aroi mak...

^ I like it too.

And now I am hungry ...no pla ra..no poo...

Papaya is very healthy, not to mention delicious...*som tam Thai, is one of my favorite foods.

Just avoid the plaa ra/crabs...leave that shit to the yokels...