Summer heat can tempt you into habits that seem harmless but may quietly damage your health. According to experts, these five common behaviors during hot weather may do more harm to your stomach than eating fatty meat—yet few people realize it.
According to GLOBOCAN 2022, more than 1.12 million new cases of stomach cancer and approximately 768,000 deaths are recorded worldwide each year. In Vietnam, stomach cancer ranks among the four most common cancers and is increasingly affecting younger people.
Medical experts say that the rising incidence and mortality are largely due to delayed diagnosis, ignoring early warning signs, and unhealthy modern lifestyles. Poor eating habits—such as skipping meals, consuming excessively spicy or greasy foods, and excessive alcohol consumption—can gradually erode the stomach’s protective lining and create conditions that encourage the growth of cancerous cells.
Many people assume that fatty meat is one of the biggest threats to stomach health. However, Dr. Huo Jianyang of Peking University People’s Hospital (China) says that during the summer, the following five habits may be even more damaging. The stomach lining has a limited ability to protect itself, and repeatedly exposing it to these behaviors may gradually increase the risk of serious digestive diseases.
On extremely hot days, many people come home from the heat and immediately drink a glass of ice water before eating anything.
Dr. Huo warns that this sudden exposure to extremely cold drinks can place intense physical stress on the stomach.
When ice-cold water enters an empty stomach, the blood vessels beneath the stomach lining constrict abruptly, reducing blood flow and temporarily weakening the stomach’s protective mucus layer. Repeated exposure to this type of thermal shock may impair digestion, trigger painful stomach cramps, and contribute to chronic irritation over time.
During summer, many office workers spend eight or nine consecutive hours sitting in air-conditioned environments to escape the heat.
Most people associate prolonged sitting with back pain, but poor circulation is an equally important concern.
According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity contributes to more than 3.2 million deaths worldwide every year.
For the digestive system, remaining sedentary for long periods while exposed to cool indoor temperatures may slow intestinal movement, causing food to remain in the digestive tract longer than normal. Over time, this can contribute to digestive discomfort and place additional strain on the stomach.
Hot summer nights often make it difficult to fall asleep. Combined with longer daylight hours, many people stay awake binge-watching TV shows, scrolling through social media, or playing video games late into the night.
Sleep medicine research has shown that regularly sleeping fewer than six hours per night increases levels of inflammatory markers throughout the body.
Nighttime is also when the stomach lining undergoes much of its repair and regeneration. If you stay up late frequently, stomach acid continues to be produced even when there is no food to digest. Over time, this may irritate the stomach lining and increase the risk of ulcers.
People who stay up late are also more likely to snack late at night and consume sugary drinks, both of which may negatively affect digestive health.
Many people think emotions only affect mental health, but they also have a direct impact on the digestive system.
Hot weather can increase feelings of irritability, anxiety, and frustration, leading to elevated levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
These hormonal changes may disrupt the autonomic nervous system, which regulates stomach function. As a result, blood vessels may constrict, stomach acid production may become unbalanced, and the stomach’s protective lining can become more vulnerable to irritation.
Research suggests that digestive disorders often worsen during periods of prolonged emotional stress.
Summer is peak season for popular street foods such as raw salads, lightly cooked seafood, and fresh vegetable wraps. However, high temperatures also create ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply rapidly if food is not prepared hygienically.
Dr. Huo emphasizes that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the leading bacterial cause of stomach cancer and has been classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence that it can cause cancer in humans.
When contaminated food is combined with spoiled ingredients that deteriorate more quickly in hot weather, the risk of stomach infection and long-term damage to the stomach lining may increase substantially.
While no single habit directly causes stomach cancer, repeatedly exposing your stomach to unhealthy behaviors over many years may increase the risk of chronic digestive diseases. Maintaining healthy eating habits, getting enough sleep, managing stress, staying physically active, and practicing proper food hygiene are all important steps toward protecting your stomach and overall health.
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