The Effect of Aflatoxin on Liver Cancer

Many studies conducted in various countries provide evidence confirming the relationship between aflatoxin and liver cancer.

Aflatoxin is a toxic chemical substance produced by the fungus known as Aspergillus flavus or A. Parasiticus, which develops in foods and feeds as a result of increased moisture and heat. The spores of mold that forms in humid environments produce this toxic substance and contaminate food. Although mold spores do not have adverse effects on human health on their own, when environmental conditions are favorable, they multiply on food and produce a partially harmful chemical substance.

Aflatoxin, which develops mostly in crops during harvest, facilitates mold growth by increasing the amount of water as a result of inadequate drying of crops before storage. In addition, insect and rodent infestations are another factor that causes mold formation. This situation can be encountered almost anywhere in the world; however, it is generally more likely to occur in tropical and warmer countries.

Aflatoxin, commonly found in cheese, corn, peanuts, cottonseed, almonds, figs, spices, and various types of feed, also develops in milk, eggs, and meat products when animals are fed feed containing this substance. However, corn, peanuts, and cottonseed contaminated with aflatoxin carry the highest cancer risk.

Does aflatoxin cause cancer?

Although complete protection cannot be ensured before these foods reach consumers, many countries have introduced new regulations and operate strict control mechanisms for the use of such foods.

As a result of a study, clear evidence showing that consuming aflatoxin-contaminated foods in China and sub-Saharan Africa is one of the main causes of human hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) is supported by cancer organizations.

Aflatoxin is a toxic substance known to have carcinogenic effects in humans and to cause liver cancer in animals. A possible close relationship is thought to exist between aflatoxin and people with liver cancer in Africa and Asia, where peanuts are a primary food source. Another recent study suggests that hepatitis B virus (a viral infectious disease of the liver) and long-term consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated foods together increase the risk of liver cancer.

In the 1960s, more than 100.000 turkeys on poultry farms in England died within a few months from a disease they called “Turkey X Disease.” It was later understood that this disease was not limited to turkeys; the disease, which also infected ducklings and pheasants, caused many animals to die.

Subsequent research showed that the outbreak was related to the animals’ feed, and concluded that the Brazilian peanuts suspected of having been consumed by the animals that died contained highly toxic substances that caused symptoms similar to those of “Turkey X Disease” in poultry and ducklings.

In the 1960s, the toxin produced by the fungus caused much speculation, and one year later, in 1961, this toxin produced by the fungus was named aflatoxin as a result of the bacterium identified as Aspergillus flavus.

This discovery increased awareness of the potential harms of toxic foods that cause disease and even loss of life in humans and mammals. Today, in countries with advanced technologies, foods that may contain such toxic substances are subject to strict monitoring.

Dear readers, when consuming risky foods containing aflatoxin, please discard without delay any product that is moldy, discolored, or in an abnormal condition, and purchase a new one. It is a fact that must never be forgotten that long-term storage of foods containing mold spores that produce toxic substances increases the risk of disease.