Eating veggies may reduce risk of liver cancer by 65 pc: Study

Eating vegetables can help reduce the risk of liver cancer by 65 per cent, according to a study.

The study, led by researchers from the INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, focused on patients diagnosed with cirrhosis -- scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by long-term liver damage.

They examined the benefits of eating vegetables and or fruits among these patients Of the 179 patients analysed, 20 were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).

The team found that a total of 42.5 per cent of patients with cirrhosis had insufficient fruit and/or vegetable consumption.

“A 65 per cent reduction in the incidence (new cases) of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) was observed in patients diagnosed with cirrhosis consuming more than 240 gram per day of vegetables,” the researchers said.

The researchers, however, found no evidence of an association between fruit consumption and hepatocellular carcinoma. The team said that the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of HCC is poorly documented in the population of cirrhotic patients. However, “such knowledge is crucial for adapting HCC prevention messages,” they noted, in the paper published in the journal JHEP Reports.

Liver cancer is the sixth most frequent cancer worldwide, mainly represented by HCC, accounting for about 85-90 per cent. HCC occurs when a tumour grows on the liver. HCC most commonly occurs in those with chronic liver disease especially those with cirrhosis or fibrosis, which occur in the setting of chronic liver injury and inflammation.

Main causes of disease of underlying chronic liver disease are alcohol and viral hepatitis, while it also includes overweight and obesity, consumption of foods contaminated with aflatoxins (that is, toxins produced by moulds).

The researchers called for larger studies “to assess the benefits of fruit regarding the risk of HCC”, and to provide evidence for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in patients with liver cirrhosis.