Low-carb, high-protein diet may increase liver cancer risk

Individuals with diets high in animal fat and protein and low in carbohydrates appear to be at heightened risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a Singapore study.

Researchers used data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study and looked at 63,275 middle-aged and elderly Chinese living in Singapore. The low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) score, which is a comprehensive measure of dietary pattern according to sources of carbohydrate, fat, and protein, was evaluated in relation to the risk of HCC.

Additionally, a nested case–control cohort study that included 197 HCC cases and 465 controls among 28,346 participants who provided blood samples was performed.

A total of 561 participants received a diagnosis of primary HCC over 17.6 years of follow-up (819,573 person-years). Cox proportional hazard regression showed no association between total LCD score and HCC risk (hazard ratio [HR]_{per-SD increment}, 1.07, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.16; p=0.06 for trend). However, animal-based LCD score was positively associated with HCC risk (HR_{per-SD increment}, 1.11, 95 percent CI, 1.02–1.21; p=0.01 for trend).

In the case–control study, the association between animal-based LCD score and HCC risk remained significant regardless of HBsAg positivity.

In stratified analysis of the entire cohort, the positive association was observed only among participants who consumed alcoholic beverages monthly or less frequently but not among those who did so weekly or daily (p=0.79 for interaction).