Low cholesterol associated with hepatitis C related liver cancer

This study was published in the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association Journal 2010 Nov;12(9):625-36

 

Study title and authors:

Evidence of aberrant lipid metabolism in hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Wu JM, Skill NJ, Maluccio MA.

Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. jw17@iupui.edu

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20961371

The association of cholesterol levels with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) was assessed in 73 patients with HCV-associated cirrhosis and cancer and 103 normal controls.

The study found that the cholesterol levels of the patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCV-related liver cancer were 19% lower than the normal controls.

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Saturated fat and dietary cholesterol protect against alcoholic liver cirrhosis

This study was published in Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 1986 Jun;10(3):271-3

Study title and authors:

Dietary factors and alcoholic cirrhosis.

Nanji AA, French SW.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3526949

Nanji notes that death rates from alcoholic liver cirrhosis in many countries deviate markedly from that expected for a given per capita alcohol intake.

This study investigated the possibility that dietary factors might explain the deviation from expected and actual mortality rates in different countries. Data was gathered from 17 countries.

The study found that:
(a) High consumption of dietary cholesterol was associated with less cirrhosis.
(b) High consumption of saturated fat was associated with less cirrhosis.
(c) High consumption of polyunsaturated fat was associated with more cirrhosis.

This study suggests that both saturated fat and dietary cholesterol protect against alcoholic cirrhosis while polyunsaturated fats promote cirrhosis.

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Low cholesterol associated with liver cancer

This study was published in the British Medical Journal 1993 Apr 3;306(6882):890-4

Study title and authors:

Prolonged infection with hepatitis B virus and association between low blood cholesterol concentration and liver cancer.

Chen Z, Keech A, Collins R, Slavin B, Chen J, Campbell TC, Peto R.

Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Infirmary.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8490412

Hepatitis can be caused by viruses that primarily attack the liver cells, such as hepatitis B. About one fifth of the patients with chronic hepatitis B are at risk of developing cirrhosis or cancer of the liver

The study examined 1,556 apparently healthy men aged 35-64 years to determine whether prolonged infection with hepatitis B virus is associated with a lower blood cholesterol concentration. 238 (15%) of the men were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, indicating that they were chronic carriers.

The study found:
(a) Cholesterol levels were 4.2% lower among carriers (that is, positive for hepatitis B surface antigen) than among non-carriers.
(b) Chronic hepatitis B virus infection, which usually starts in early childhood in China, seems to lead not only to a greatly increased risk of death from liver disease but also to a somewhat lower cholesterol levels in adulthood.

The study found that lower cholesterol levels lead to risk of death from liver cancer or from other chronic liver diseases.

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Dietary choline is vital for proper fetal development: Best dietary sources are liver and eggs

This post includes a summary of a paper published in the Annual Review of Nutrition 2006; 26: 229–250 and a recipe for liver and onions.

Study title and author:
Choline: Critical Role During Fetal Development and Dietary Requirements in Adults
Steven H. Zeisel
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health and School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599; email: steven_zeisel@unc.edu

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2441939/?tool=pubmed
 

Books:

Zeisel notes that choline is an essential nutrient needed for cell membranes, brain and muscle function.

Choline is critical during fetal development and helps lifelong memory function. It also gives protection from neural tube defects and protects the brain and spinal cord structure and function.

 
When deprived of dietary choline, most men and postmenopausal women developed signs of organ damage such as fatty liver or muscle damage, and 44% of premenopausal women developed such signs.
 
The richest dietary food sources of choline are (concentration mg/100 g): beef liver (418), chicken liver (290), eggs (251).

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Other Websites : Videos : Food Mall

Recipe of the day

Liver and Onions

serves 2

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Liver

1 lb (450g) liver

2 onions, sliced
¾ – 1 pt beef stock

Directions:
1.Prepare the liver. To do this you need to rinse the liver in cold water, pat it dry and then cut out any of the large or stringy tubes before cutting it into pieces. I prefer to cut it into inch-wide strips or inch square pieces, depending on the size and form of the pieces that I started with.

2.Heat some oil in frying pan until it is smoking.

3.Put the liver in the pan for about 2 minutes until it has mostly stopped bleeding. Keep it moving while it cooks to stop it from sticking.

4.Add the onions to the pan and continue to keep this moving in the pan with the liver for 1-2 minutes until the onions are starting to soften. If you don’t keep it moving about then the onions are at risk of burning or cooking unevenly.

5.Finally add the stock to the pan, mix in thoroughly with the liver and onions, and then leave simmering over a high heat until the stock reduces to a thick gravy, which should take about 3-5 minutes.

Liver and Onions



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