A high level of white meat and fish consumption could reduce the risk of developing liver cancer, according to a study.
Published in the Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics journal, the research showed that “a high level of white meat or fish consumption can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) significantly”
The study was conducted by the Department of Radiation Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China, and used data from as far back as 1956.
HCC is the most common liver cancer, and the results of the research also concluded there was no link between the consumption of red or processed meat and HCC risk. The study was carried out since “considering the rising incidence of HCC, especially in Europe and North America, identifying new risk factors and protective factors is important for HCC prevention, which will provide new strategies to lower its incidence”.
The results showed that a higher intake of fish and poultry was not linked to HCC, but more than this, they “were found to be inversely associated with HCC risk”. It said: “Our findings suggest that dietary intervention may be a promising approach for prevention of HCC, which still need to be confirmed by further well-designed prospective studies and experimental research.”
It explained that while red and processed meat had been linked to some cancers by studies in the past, “we found no significant association between HCC and red meat or processed meat consumption”.