Foods that help prevent liver cancer

Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants help boost immunity and can prevent liver cancer. They are often found in green vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

Liver cancer is a dangerous disease. According to Globocan's global cancer report in 2020, there are more than 900,000 new cases of liver cancer and 830,000 deaths worldwide .

Doctor Vo Dang Toan (Endoscopy and Digestive Endoscopic Surgery Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City) said that liver cancer has risk factors related to nutrition. Therefore, a scientific diet, increasing foods rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants... can prevent liver cancer.

Nutrition plays an important role in overall health and helps the liver function healthily. In addition, adults need to balance and have enough of the 4 essential nutrients for the body (starch, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals) and limit alcohol, greasy foods... The doctor suggests foods that are good for the liver that the family can include in their daily meals.

Mushrooms: Among the many types of mushrooms on the market, straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, termite mushrooms... have high nutritional content, rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These nutrients are not only good for health, helping to strengthen the body's immune system, but also have the ability to fight tumor growth and cancer cell proliferation.

Although some mushrooms are more nutritious and have higher antioxidant levels than others, scientists have found that eating any type of mushroom in your daily diet can help reduce the risk of cancer. According to research from the Penn State Cancer Institute (USA), eating more than 18 grams of mushrooms a day can reduce the risk of cancer by 45%.

Mushrooms contain many vitamins and antioxidants, helping to prevent liver cancer. Photo: Freepik

Fruits: Fruits are a good source of nutrition for health, especially berries such as citrus, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries... These fruits are both a source of vitamin A, C with antioxidant properties and increase the body's immunity. This effect is due to gallic acid which has the ability to fight against foreign agents (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi...).

Green tea: Green tea contains a lot of EGCG antioxidants, 3 times more than black tea, which can help protect the body against cancer-causing factors. Doctor Toan cited many studies showing that green tea contains antioxidants that are 25-100 times more effective than vitamins C and E, helping to limit the growth of cancer cells.

Spices: Some familiar spices in the kitchen such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, thyme, chili, basil and parsley... contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties, stimulate the immune system, reduce the ability to stimulate cancer cell growth. These spices can be used in food processing or used to blend smoothies, make juices.

Green vegetables: Green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, lettuce... contain many vitamins and minerals, enzymes, antioxidants but very low in calories, sodium is good for the liver. Green vegetables are a source of easy-to-use natural antioxidants, can reduce the risk of cancer, contribute to preventing the formation and development of tumors. Doctor Toan recommends eating more than 5 types of vegetables and fruits every day, about 400g to reduce the risk of liver cancer.

Increasing green vegetables and fresh fruits helps strengthen the body's immune system. Photo: Freepik

Milk and dairy products: Yogurt, cheese, cream... are fermented foods from milk containing many good bacteria, beneficial for the intestinal microflora, helping to increase immunity and protect the liver.

Fish: Natural fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines... contain a lot of healthy omega-3 fats. This type of fatty acid is not only good for the brain, nerves, and hormones, but also has anti-inflammatory effects and helps prevent cancer.

Seeds: Chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds... contain many nutrients, especially fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and many abundant minerals, good for the liver.

Liver cancer progresses silently and is often detected at an advanced stage, making treatment difficult. Dr. Toan recommends that to reduce illness and prevent illness early, people need to change to a healthy lifestyle, eat, exercise and rest regularly, limit alcohol, dirty food, mold, and get vaccinated. Keeping a relaxed, optimistic spirit and relieving stress and fatigue is also good for health.

Quyen Phan

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