Foods rich in selenium are beneficial for the liver. Cancers are less common in people with high blood levels.
Seafood, onions, eggs and Brazil nuts have one thing in common: these foods are rich in selenium, a micronutrient essential for the immune system. Integrating these products more into the daily diet could well be a beneficial reflex. According to a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this micronutrient reduces the risk of liver cancer.
Risk reduced by 59%
This study is based on data from the European EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) cohort, which follows 500,000 Europeans from 10 different countries. The objective: to better understand the link between diet and cancer. The researchers therefore selected 121 patients with liver cancer, 140 with cancer of the gallbladder or bile ducts, and as many healthy people.
Participants who have high levels of selenium in their blood are less at risk of developing a tumor. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma is particularly reduced, in view of the results. For every 20 μg increase of selenium per liter of blood, the risk is reduced by 59%.
A key protein
High concentrations of seleno-protein P (SePP) are also found to be beneficial. This protein is responsible for the distribution of selenium in the liver and the rest of the body. Every 1.5 mg increase per liter of blood results in a 63% reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast, no association emerges with cancers of the gallbladder and bile ducts, located below the liver.
The authors of this study stress that these results are encouraging. Increasing your selenium intake, when they are insufficient, could act in prevention, in the same way as stopping smoking, low alcohol consumption and a normal BMI.
“But these results are based on a single study, with a reduced number of liver cancers, our results must therefore be validated by other work before public health recommendations are issued”, underlines Dr. David Hughes, of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.
Selenium concentrations vary by region. Cattle and European crops contain less, because the soil is poor in this micronutrient. Conversely, the populations of North America are better off.
9% of cancer deaths
Defining preventive strategies is important given the significant weight of liver cancer in global mortality. In 2012, it accounted for 9% of cancer deaths. “The incidence of liver cancer is increasing in developed countries,” recalls Dr. Mazda Jenab of IARC. Liver cancers are often diagnosed at a late stage and treatment options are limited. “
If these results are confirmed, the preventive approach seems within reach.
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