Can Dietary factors protect against liver cancer development?
January 27, 2022
Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer related death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common (>80%) histological type of liver cancer. There are large variations in geographical distribution of liver cancer worldwide. The disease burden is the highest in areas with endemic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, such as in Asian countries, specifically in the East and South-East Asia, while North and South America have a relatively low incidence. About 72% of all liver cancer occurs in Asia, with China accounting for 47% of the global burden. Established risk factors of liver cancer include chronic infection with HBV or hepatitis C virus (HCV), excessive alcohol consumption, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and aflatoxin exposure. Carbohydrates Over the past decades, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption has increased dramatically worldwide. Although still inconclusive, this rising trend in sugar consumption, practically simple sugar (mainly fructose consumption), has been positively associated with weight gain and obesity, insulin resistance and T2D, and NAFLD. As mentioned above, insulin resistance, obesity and NAFLD may lead to the establishment of HCC. Thus, SSB consumption, mainly fructose, could be thereby linked to HCC development. Dietary fats/fatty acids To date, the association between dietary fat intake and risk of HCC has not been well studied, and the existing epidemiologic evidence is limited and inconclusive. Dietary proteins/amino acids The three BCAAs, leucine, isoleucine and valine, are among the nine essential amino acids for humans. They have been shown to affect gene expression, protein metabolism, apoptosis and regeneration of hepatocytes, and insulin resistance. They have also been shown to inhibit the proliferation of liver cancer cells in vitro. Dietary trace elements and vitamins In the 2 cohorts of Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Study with 132,765 Chinese adults and over 500 liver cancer cases, it suggested that dietary manganese intake was inversely associated with liver cancer risk Dairy products Previous studies suggested that high dairy product intake may increase the levels of plasma IGF-1. The increased concentration of IGF-1, an important factor in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis, might contribute to the development of several cancers including HCC in experimental studies. Fruit, vegetable Consistently, total fiber, vegetable fiber, especially cereal fiber, were possibly associated with lower HCC risk, while fiber from fruit did not seem to be associated with HCC risk. Meats In the Japanese Ministry of Education (JACC) cohort, showing no significant association between beef or pork intake and HCC mortality without adjustment for any risk factors. Intake of red meat particularly processed red meat may increase, while white meat possibly fish may decrease the risk of HCC Coffee and alcohol The evidenc...
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