Liver cancer is twice as common in men
By naturopath Margaret Jasinska
In most parts of the world men are twice as likely as women to develop Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). New research has discovered that a hormone may be responsible for this. Liver cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer death globally and in recent years more people than ever are dying from the disease.
A contributor to this gender disparity is the hormone adiponectin. It is secreted by fat cells and helps control the body’s metabolism. According to Dr. Guadalupe Sabio of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) in Madrid , “Circulating adiponectin levels have been reported to be higher in women than in men”.
In mice, male mice are more prone to liver cancer than females. Researchers found that increased levels of adiponectin in female mice protect them from liver cancer. The researchers discovered that adiponectin activates two proteins inside liver cells, known as p38 and AMPK. These proteins block cell proliferation and impair tumour growth.
What causes liver cancer?
These are the most common risk factors:
- Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Inherited liver diseases – such as hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease which are easily treated.
- Exposure to aflatoxins which are toxins produced by molds that grow on crops that are stored poorly. Crops such as corn and peanuts can become contaminated with aflatoxins, which can end up in foods made of these products. Never eat moldy nuts and grains.
- Excess consumption of alcohol
Liver cancer can begin in the bile ducts inside your liver or gallbladder. This is more likely to occur in people with long standing gallbladder inflammation or an overgrowth of bad bugs in the gut.
Strategies to protect your liver from cancer
Ask your doctor to check if you have a fatty liver. This can be seen on a blood test for liver function and an ultrasound scan of your liver. In the vast majority of cases, fatty liver can be reversed. I’ve written detailed information on how to do that in my book called Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. You need to follow a lower carbohydrate diet and avoid sugar and seed oils. Alcohol intake needs to be kept to a minimum or avoided entirely.
Maintain the health of your gallbladder and ensure you manufacture healthy bile. Liver cancer can start inside the bile ducts. Don’t just ignore a gallbladder condition. Lemon and lime juice as well as apple cider vinegar all help to improve bile quality. There are many recommendations in our book Save Your Gallbladder and what to do if you’ve already lost it.
Find out if you are insulin resistant. The majority of people with a fatty liver are. If you have elevated blood levels of insulin, this instructs your liver to manufacture fat. It also predisposes you to type 2 diabetes.
Selenium is very important for good liver health. Your body requires it for glutathione production. Most of you know that Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium. However, this largely depends on whether the soil they were grown in was high in selenium. Most parts of the world are experiencing declining selenium soil levels. That means it’s hard to get enough of this essential mineral through diet.
Try to have a healthy diet and lifestyle because it can greatly reduce your risk of liver cancer, even if you have a chronic viral infection (such as hepatitis B or C) of the liver. Early diagnosis of liver disease enables treatment that can prevent liver cancer. Avoid smoking and excess alcohol intake.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8630649/
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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