Western diets could cause liver cancer
- Mice fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet are more likely to develop liver tumors
- When given antibiotics to treat the injury, the mice do not respond to treatment
- They also have a higher level of expression of genes that cause inflammation
- Researchers believe such diets boost inflammatory bacteria, which affect livers
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
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Western diets of sugary, fatty foods could cause liver cancer, new research suggests.
Mice that are fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet are more likely to develop liver tumors, a study found.
When given antibiotics to treat their liver injury, mice fed a western diet do not respond to treatment, the study found.
Researchers believe western diets cause an increase in pro-inflammatory gut bacteria and reduce levels of species that dampen inflammation, which has a negative effect on the liver.
Lead author Dr Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan from the University of California Davis Health, said: ‘Gut and liver health are linked. Because the liver receives 70 percent of its blood supply from the intestine, it is important to understand how the gut contributes to liver disease development.’
Western diets of sugary, fatty foods could cause liver cancer, new research suggests
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DRINKING FIVE CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY REDUCES YOUR RISK OF LIVER CANCER BY 50%
Drinking more coffee may help stave off liver cancer, research suggested back in May.
Researchers found people who drink just one cup of coffee a day are 20 per cent less likely to develop the most common form of the disease.
Drinking two cups of coffee a day lowers your risk by 35 per cent, while five cups cuts your risk of developing liver cancer in half, a study found.
Even decaffeinated coffee can have a protective effect, the research adds.
Lead researcher Dr Oliver Kennedy, from the University of Southampton, said: ‘Coffee is widely believed to possess a range of health benefits and these latest findings suggest it could have a significant effect on liver cancer risk.’
How the study was carried out
Researchers from the University of California Davis Health analyzed mice deficient in the farnesoid x receptor (FXR).
FXR is involved in bile acid synthesis, secretion and transport.
Patients with cirrhosis or liver cancer often have low FXR levels.
The researchers fed the FXR-deficient mice, as well as healthy animals, high-sugar, high-fat foods for 10 months. These foods were selected as they are typical of a western diet.
Key findings
Results revealed that only the western-diet fed FXR-deficient mice developed liver tumors.
When given antibiotics to treat their liver injury, the mice did not respond to treatment.
They also had a higher level of expression of genes that cause inflammation.
The researchers believe western diets cause an increase in pro-inflammatory gut bacteria and reduce levels of species that dampen inflammation, which has a negative effect on the liver.
Dr Wan said: ‘Gut and liver health are linked. It is clear that microbial imbalance and dysregulated bile acid synthesis are inseparable, and they jointly contribute to hepatic inflammation via the gut-liver axis.
‘Because the liver receives 70 percent of its blood supply from the intestine, it is important to understand how the gut contributes to liver disease development.’
The findings were published in The American Journal of Pathology.
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