Men in the United States are twice as likely as women to develop Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). New research has discovered that a hormone may be responsible for this. Liver cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer death globally and in recent years more people than ever are dying from the disease.

A contributor to this gender disparity is the hormone adiponectin. It is secreted by fat cells and helps control the body's metabolism. According to Dr. Guadalupe Sabio of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) in Madrid , "Circulating adiponectin levels have been reported to be higher in women than in men”.

In mice, male mice are more prone to liver cancer than females. Researchers found that increased levels of adiponectin in female mice protect them from liver cancer. The researchers discovered that adiponectin activates two proteins inside liver cells, known as p38 and AMPK. These proteins block cell proliferation and impair tumor growth.

What causes liver cancer?

These are the most common risk factors:

  • Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV)
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance
  • Cirrhosis of the liver
  • Inherited liver diseases – such as hemochromatosis and Wilson's disease which are easily treated.
  • Exposure to aflatoxins which are toxins produced by molds that grow on crops that are stored poorly. Crops such as corn and peanuts can become contaminated with aflatoxins, which can end up in foods made of these products. Never eat moldy nuts and grains.
  • Excess consumption of alcohol

Liver cancer can begin in the bile ducts inside your liver or gallbladder. This is more likely to occur in people with long standing gallbladder inflammation or an overgrowth of bad bugs in the gut.

Strategies to protect your liver from cancer

Ask your doctor to check if you have a fatty liver. This can be seen on a blood test for liver function and an ultrasound scan of your liver. In the vast majority of cases, fatty liver can be reversed. I’ve written detailed information on how to do that in my book called Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. You need to follow a lower carbohydrate diet and take the right herbs and nutrients to repair and regenerate the liver. I have formulated Livatone Plus with the clinically effective dose of St Mary’s thistle, plus other supportive nutrients to reduce inflammation in the liver.  Glutathione is a powerful detoxifier and anti-inflammatory agent produced in your body. It is brilliant for reducing liver inflammation. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is the building block of glutathione and helps to raise your blood level of this important molecule. NAC can be taken in capsule form.

Maintain the health of your gallbladder and ensure you manufacture healthy bile. Liver cancer can start inside the bile ducts. Don’t just ignore a gallbladder condition. Ox bile is very beneficial for improving the quality of your bile. It helps to make the bile thinner, so it flows more freely. It also helps to reduce gallstones and biliary sludge. Ox bile can be taken in capsule form.

Find out if you are insulin resistant. The majority of people with a fatty liver are. If you have elevated blood levels of insulin, this instructs your liver to manufacture fat. It also predisposes you to type 2 diabetes. Berberine is a very effective natural supplement for reversing insulin resistance, it stimulates weight loss and reduces fatty liver.

Selenium is very important for good liver health. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people with higher blood levels of selenium are less likely to develop liver cancer. Most of you know that Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium. However, this largely depends on whether the soil they were grown in was high in selenium. Most parts of the world are experiencing declining selenium soil levels. That means it’s hard to get enough of this essential mineral through diet. Prof. Dr. Lutz Schomburg of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology said, “According to our data, the third of the population with lowest selenium status have a five- to ten-fold increased risk of developing liver cancer.”

Try to have a healthy diet and lifestyle because it can greatly reduce your risk of liver cancer, even if you have a chronic viral infection (such as hepatitis B or C) of the liver. Early diagnosis of liver disease enables treatment that can prevent liver cancer. Avoid smoking and excess alcohol intake.

Oral administration of vitamin K2 was shown to reduce the ability of liver cancer cells to invade and spread via the veins in the liver (portal venous system). This study was reported in the journal Hepatology and produced results which suggest that high-dose vitamin K2 treatment can function as an inhibitor of primary liver cancer (HCC) cell growth. Vitamin K 2 has no known adult human toxicity, which makes orally administered vitamin K2 a very promising treatment for keeping tumors inactive. More clinical trials are in progress to evaluate vitamin K2 in patients with primary liver cancer.

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The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.