Green pigments may help prevent liver cancer

By David Liu

Eating lots of green vegetables may help prevent liver cancer, according to a study by researchers at Linus Pauling Institute and published in the Dec 2, 2009 issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

Green vegetables are high in chlorophyll. And the study found intake of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin may reduce the bioavailability in humans of cancer-causing chemical alfatoxin B, which can induce liver cancer.

Chlorophyll is a natural green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria and chlorophyllin is a water-soluble, semi-synthetic sodium/copper derivative of chlorophyll, which is used as a natural food color, according to kiwipedia.

Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin have been found early in trout and rats that both can reduce carcinogen bioavailablity, biomarker damage, and tumorigenicity, the researchers said in their study report.

For the current study, Dr George Bailey and colleagues examined the effect of co-treatment of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin on bioavailability of aflatoxin B in a few Chinese volunteers.

Aflatoxin B is one of most potent cancer-causing agents, which is commonly present in corn, peanuts and other crops like wheat. It is one important risk factor for liver cancer. It is one of the reasons for some people to avoid eating these foods.

Chorophyll and chlorophyllin treatment each significantly impeded Aflatoxin B absorption and helped get rid of the toxin quickly in one or more subjects, the researchers found.

Green pigments found in vegetables may not be the only element in plant-based foods that may help prevent liver cancer.

Other chemopreventive effects of plant-based foods against hepatocellular carcinogenesis or development of liver cancer were demonstrated by Dr. Colin T Campbell, a distinguished nutrition professor at Cornell University.

Dr. Campbell in his laboratory found that of rodents that were exposed to high doses of aflatoxin B, those that ate milk protein casein died earlier from various diseases including liver problems than those that ate soy protein.

Dr. Campbell concluded that eating plant-based foods like green vetegables and beans can reduce the hepatotoxicity of aflatoxin B and probably other cancer-causing agents as well.

Photo from AICR.org