Scientists have found that eating a significant amount of fish is associated with an increased risk of developing melanoma, a skin cancer.
Melanoma is often an aggressive disease, this type of cancer skin can spread to other organs of the body. If the tumor gives metastases that spread to other areas, this greatly complicates the treatment.
Most melanomas result from exposure to UV radiation that damages the DNA of cells. A new study suggests that ultraviolet radiation is not the only potential cause of skin cancer. The journal Cancer Causes and Control reported that researchers at Brown University found a link between eating large amounts of fish and susceptibility to melanoma. 8 grams per day, the risk of developing abnormal cells in the outer layer of the skin was 28 percent higher. The appearance of such cells is regarded by doctors as a stage preceding cancer (this is the so-called melanoma of the zero stage).
Speaking about why fish can increase susceptibility to cancer, the authors of the work explained this connection with the content of pollutants in fish – polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, arsenic, mercury. According to the scientists, there are other studies showing that the active consumption of fish is associated with higher levels of these pollutants in the human body and with a higher risk of skin cancer.
At the same time, experts note that the findings does not mean you have to stop eating fish altogether. According to them, the identified relationship still requires further study.
Signs of melanoma. One of the earliest signs is the appearance of an abnormal mole. Here are its characteristics:
- increase in size
- change in shape
- change in color
- bleeding or crusting
- li>
- the appearance of itching or soreness.
Potentially dangerous moles usually have an uneven or jagged edge of an irregular shape and are larger than 6 mm.
Earlier, MedikForum.ru wrote about that modern people consume too much fructose, and why it is dangerous to health.