Knowing your family history could help prevent liver disease

When it comes to healthy living, there’s truth in the saying: “Know the past to understand the present and prepare for the future.” New studies show that a family history of cancer may likely increases a person’s chance of developing hepatitis and other liver diseases including cancer.

There are several risk factors that lead to liver cancer, including consumption of alcoholic and fatty substances, obesity and diabetes. However, recent studies have found  that merely having a family history of liver disease makes one vulnerable to getting liver cancer.

In this particular study, researchers examined the records of over 600 patients. Some had hepatocellular carcinoma while some had no record of any hepatitis infection whatsoever.  Isolating those with a family history of liver disease, researchers found out that those were at a significantly higher chance of getting liver cancer than the rest of the populace.

Today, liver cancer ranks third in the most fatal of diseases worldwide, with a mortality of over 700,000 people in 2008. Over seventy percent of those deaths developed from hepatitis B and C.

While hepatitis remains to be the most critical risk factor for liver cancer, this revelation about the effects of family history is an important wake up  call to live a healthful lifestyle. Those with a genetic risk to liver disease may have hepatitis markers, which could be identified upon testing.  Early identification very much reduces the chance of getting hepatocellular carcinoma, and gives room to less intrusive and risky treatments.

People with known family history of liver disease may want to consider going through a panel test to have their liver checked, to potentially prevent future complications. If you’re not certain about your family’s medical history, it’s about time that you cook a family dinner and brave the questions to find out.

New vaccine program to lessen mother-child transmission of hepatitis (Photo Credit: Creative Commons)

The miracle of childbirth sometimes comes with unintended and unfortunate dangers. One of which is the transfer of the hepatitis virus from an infected mother to her child.  Today,  a vaccination program has been developed which proves to be effective in preventing the transmission of chronic infection to newborn children born to women with hepatitis.

New York’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) is making great progress in the implementation of a vaccination program for babies born to women who have hepatitis B. The promising results of this program show an increasing trend of immunity among babies who have completed the series of vaccines.  According to the researchers at the Center, many infants responded well in spite of their intimate and repeated exposure to their mothers who carry the disease.

Over one million people in the United States are living with chronic hepatitis B.  About 40,000 new cases are reported every year. These numbers include affected babies of mothers with hepatitis B. The number of pregnant women with the hepatitis virus rose to 26,000 in 2008 from 19,000 in 1994. Without proper vaccines and preventive care, these women as well as their children are at a great risk of developing serious liver diseases such as liver cancer. This alarming upsurge calls for more aggressive ways to promote hepatitis screening among pregnant women, and to give vaccines to their children.

CDC’s vaccine is given to infants within twelve hours of their birth. Two or three more shots are later given after six months to one year from the initial vaccination. Those who had all the vaccines showed stronger resistance to hepatitis.  However, one major challenge that emerged is to make sure that the mothers diligently bring in their children to complete the series of vaccines.  CDC is making this program more accessible to families, however there is still a greater responsibility which lies in the hands of parents to access these services in order to protect their children.  For more information on infant vaccinations please visit http://www.cdc.gov.

fingers crossed for metformin use against cancer

You know the old adage,  “a pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure”.  Prevention is always better than cure. Guided by this mantra, research in the field of liver diseases has widened its scope to include methods of preventative health care.  This research includes studies on metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes.  It seems metformin may be effective in the prevention of liver diseases as well.

Metformin helps people living with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. It is commonly prescribed to patients with Type II diabetes, and is sometimes used in conjunction with insulin. Since it affects the glucose levels, patients may experience some minor side effects including weakness, nausea, headache and diarrhea.

Researchers at the University of Maryland believe that metformin could serve as a potent preventive drug for people who are at high risk of developing liver cancer. These primarily include people with hepatitis, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Metformin was observed to increase enzyme activities that inhibit the development of tumors.

Several studies link metformin with reducing liver cancer risks, but this study is the first to test the effect of metformin on actual liver tumor.

The liver is responsible for processing nutrients from our food and breaking down the toxins in the body. It converts glucose, from foods we eat such as grains, dairy, sugars, fruits and vegetables, into fatty acids. This process, called lipogenesis, increases in people with diabetes and liver diseases. What metformin does is reduce the body’s glucose level; it suppresses the production of fatty acids, thereby preventing the development of tumor.

The study is also looking into the effect of metformin on other types of cancers.  such as lung, pancreatic, prostate and melanoma.  With the use of metformin in the fight against cancer, the door to affordable  and accessible cancer prevention may have just been opened.

Get tested for hepatitis to be on top of your health condition

Free hepatitis or HIV screening? Sounds like a no-brainer!  And yet a number of us end up debating with ourselves whether to go for the free test or remain in the false comfort of not knowing our status. It is exactly this fear and neglect of getting regular tests that costs many people their lives.

The death toll on hepatitis C has surpassed that of AIDS over the last many years, according to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In the U.S. alone, the mortality rate from hepatitis C has been steadily increasing.

While there have been significant improvements in the treatment of hepatitis C, researchers believe that a large part of  the problem lies in the lack of testing and unfortunate un- diagnosis of many people who are infected with hepatitis C and do not know it.

Today’s trend is that most people who go for hepatitis screening are mostly those exhibiting physical symptoms or with high risk factors in developing the disease.  That’s late in the game for initial testing.

Hepatitis C, especially in its chronic stage, is very often without any symptoms. Thus, people may unknowingly carry the disease for years. People with hepatitis C are at a great risk of developing liver cancer, which ultimately causes death. At this point, there is no vaccine for liver cancer and treatments usually accompanied by difficult side effects.

A major risk factor of hepatitis C is exposure to infected injected drug needles and blood transfusions. While hepatitis C is not known to be transmitted through sex, reports show that incidents of hepatitis C have been increasing among people with HIV.

The best way to address hepatitis C is  still to get tested. Today, hepatitis screenings are given for free in many trusted clinics, or can be availed at affordable rates.  Please refer to or Resource Page for more information on free and low cost screenings.

When hepatitis C is identified early on, patients can be given vaccinations, treatments and dietary plans to slow down the progress of the disease. As far as hepatitis treatment and cancer prevention go, the first step starts with you. So go ahead and brave that hepatitis screening!  Screen. Vaccinate.  Don’t Hesitate!

radiotechnology provides a new way to isolate cancer cells

Using radio waves; a less invasive treatment alternative to surgery, could give people living with liver cancer more days to look forward to. The new Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) device could be used for patients who are too weak to endure a major medical operation. This is good news especially for patients suffering not only from liver cancer, but from multiple other health complications as well.

Liver cancer is a complex disease that can also affects other organs in the body. A cancer isolated in the liver is called primary liver cancer, while the condition wherein the cancer starts from a different organ and ultimately reaches the liver is called secondary liver cancer.

The RFA is a technology imported from Korea. This small devise comes with several prongs acting as conductors. When placed in affected tissues, the electrode scorches the infected cells, targeting those that are difficult to remove surgically. The entire procedure is relatively quick, done in about 40 minutes, and patients can be sent home after a few hours to recuperate.

RFA is done on patients with small liver cancers that are identified early on but cannot be surgically operated. Further development of the device, however, shows that it could be highly beneficial to people with secondary liver cancer. Often in these cases, there is high risk involved in operating on a patient with multiple cancers. It can also be a potential treatment for those who have not responded well to chemotherapy, or for those who have relapsed after surgery. As it is minimally invasive, patients may experience minor side effects such as tiredness and fever. Nonetheless, the positive response of patients to RFA opens a window and sheds some light to those who are suffering in darkness.

New model may provide new answers in cancer research (Photo Credit: Creative Commons - UMHealthSystem)

Every year more than 6,000 people are diagnosed with biliary tract cancer, making it one of the more rapidly growing forms of primary liver cancer. That is why when researchers at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center in the University of Rochester Medical Center succeeded to make a model of a cancerous biliary tract from a mouse the accomplishment was met with tremendous satisfaction.  With this model, researchers are now able go further in the study of this type of liver cell mutation, and potentially develop important treatment options.

The mouse model is the first genetically engineered model on this type of liver cancer, also called Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma  (IHCC). It shows two common mutations that occur in the human body, the mutation of Kras and deletion of p53 oncogenes. Oncogenes are modified genes that are commonly active in the early stage of cancer. They increase the chance for normal cells to mutate into tumors that may possibly lead to cancer.

The model allows researchers to look at these mutations and understand how the disease develops. More importantly, it enables them to test various possible treatments.

What makes this model even more unique is that it requires little time for each testing procedure, speeding up the chance to find potenti treatments.

Biliary tract cancer or IHCC is believed to start from the bile ducts within the liver. These tubes deliver bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. Bile is a substance produced by the liver and is responsible for breaking down chemicals and fats, and getting rid of other waste materials that enter the body.

While doctors usually relate IHCC to genetic makeup, much is still unknown about the cellular origin of this cancer. Unlike other cancers whereby origin can be identified in biopsies, screening technology for IHCC does not provide this information, making treatment more precarious. The new model is a viable and promising tool in understanding the early stages of IHCC, before it results in cancer. With this device, researchers are steps closer to a cure.

Choline-rich foods are good to keep both the brain and the liver healthy

Choline may not be on top of most people’s dietary supplement list, but new research suggests that getting more of choline in one’s diet could help reduce the risk of some liver diseases.

Choline, is a nutrient naturally produced by the body, however for a body to maintain healthy levels of choline we need to intake choline ( either through food or supplements).  Human milk is rich in choline.  Choline nourishes our brains, helping to prevent memory loss and the decline of cognitive abilities that often occur as we age.

Choline is grouped with-in the vitamin B-complex vitamins and functions well with foliate and amino acids. Together, these can help to prevent the liver from accumulating fats that may block metabolism, and cause high cholesterol and liver diseases.

These protective and preventive properties captured the interest of researchers on the possible benefits of choline to the liver. They found out that not only does choline strengthen the cell membrane of liver tissues, but it also has the abilities that can reverse damage on liver cells.

Choline, however, has been an underrated nutrient. Many people do not get the adequate dose of choline, especially among vegans and vegetarians. Pregnant women are advised to add choline to their diet to help ensure proper brain development of their child. Choline deficiency leads to memory problems. In fact, people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorders are given choline.

People with liver diseases, especially cirrhosis, are given choline treatment of specific dosage. However, adding choline to one’s diet should be done with a physician’s approval. Choline comes in pill form and powder that can be used in cooking. Even these supplements, however, should be taken in moderation because of its known side effects such diarrhea, bloating, and nausea, and again under doctor’s supervision.

For those who are cautious of taking pills, I am happy to tell you you can beef up your choline intake by eating green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, liver, and codfish. Think about re-working your family’s menu to include choline-rich dishes; it will only be good for your brain AND your liver.