Fatty Liver And Cancer: Processed food-fatty diet can put the liver into survival mode, know how the risk of cancer increases?:As rapidly as our lifestyles are changing, the disease is increasing at an even faster rate. Let us explain how high-fat foods can harm your liver.

News Topical, Digital Desk : Recent research by scientists has revealed the startling discovery that long-term high-fat diets not only contribute to obesity but also cause significant damage to the body, potentially leading to fatal cancer. Its effects on the liver have been described as particularly dangerous. The unhealthy fat in processed and ultra-processed foods constantly puts pressure on liver cells, causing this organ to gradually lose its normal functions.

What did the research reveal?

According to research, when the liver is burdened by a poor diet for a long time, it goes into "survival mode." In this state, the liver abandons vital functions like cleaning the blood, processing nutrients, removing toxins, and producing essential proteins and enzymes, and focuses solely on survival. This stress, lasting for months and years, gradually reduces liver cells to a state where they cannot function at full capacity.

Signs start appearing so many years ago

The research found that this cellular damage signals the risk of liver cancer 10 to 15 years before tumor formation. Scientists explained that this survival-mode environment is conducive to the growth of cancer cells. During this time, tumor-suppressing genes become inactive, and the body's cleansing system, which eliminates damaged or dead cells, weakens. As a result, cells begin to grow rapidly, mutate, and ultimately form tumors.

Study done on rats

Scientists from MIT and Harvard observed in a real-time study of mice that showed that within about six months of eating a high-fat diet, liver cells begin to develop cancer. Parts of DNA that control cell growth and survival are activated. This is a dangerous "ready state" in which even minor genetic damage can lead to cancer in the future.

What do scientists say?

According to scientists, liver cancer often progresses asymptomatically in its early stages. However, as the disease progresses, symptoms such as weight loss, loss of appetite, pain in the right side of the abdomen, jaundice, fatigue, and abdominal swelling may appear. This is why periodic screening is crucial for those at risk for conditions such as fatty liver, hepatitis, or cirrhosis. This study was published in the prestigious medical journal Cell .