Food as medicine

Simple dietary habits can improve the lives of millions of people suffering from chronic hepatitis B

Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food. - Hippocrates

The viruses have learned to survive at any cost. Over millions of years of evolution, they have learned to mercilessly exploit the molecular mechanisms of the host body, allowing them to thrive in its cells and tissues. To thwart their destructive activities, prevent viral infections and cure them, it is important to discover and understand their sophisticated attack strategies. One strategy, which was recently discovered in the laboratory of Prof. Yosef Shaul, head of the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, may lead to the development of a new method to combat chronic inflammation caused by the hepatitis B virus, called HBV. This is a cost-effective and easy-to-implement method: simple changes in diet may help overcome the infection.

The HBV virus is a known cause of trouble. According to the data of the Hepatitis B Foundation in the USA, about two billion people on Earth - that is, about a third of the world's population - have been infected with the virus at some point in their lives. Most of them manage to overcome the infection, but some develop chronic inflammation. About 400 million people in the world suffer from chronic hepatitis B, which causes cumulative damage to the liver and contributes to the development of liver cancer. It is estimated that about a million people die every year from complications of infection caused by the HBV virus. Prof. Shaul has been researching the virus for 25 years. His research revealed a number of key molecular mechanisms associated with infection with the HBV virus, and following them he invented an innovative and effective vaccine against hepatitis B. In his latest research, he discovered how the virus takes a "hire" on a natural mechanism essential for liver metabolism. His findings show that the ability of the virus to utilize this mechanism depends on the diet. The findings of the study, in which Dr. Amir Shlomai, an internist at the Sourasky Tel Aviv Medical Center, who did his doctoral thesis in Prof. Shaul's laboratory, and former research student, Dr. Nir Faran, participated, were published in the scientific journal "Records National Academy of Sciences of the USA" (PNAS), and were cited in the "Editor's Choice" section of Science magazine.

The war of survival

Prof. Shaul: "During evolution, every creature looked for its ecological niche on the face of the earth, where it is able to exist and reproduce. The same is true for humans: we can survive, for example, only in areas with a limited range of temperatures. Monkeys survive in the jungle because they are able to climb the treetops, and viruses also seek their ecological niche in the jungle of the human body. Each type of virus exists inside a certain cell, and learns to utilize its mechanisms to its advantage. When a hepatitis B virus enters the body, it settles on the liver - probably because it is able to connect to the receptors found on the surface of the liver cells. Furthermore, as I discovered in my research, the HBV virus uses the same control molecules that the liver itself uses for its regular function.

The sugar bond

"All substances absorbed in the intestines first reach the liver, which helps regulate metabolism by storing excesses of certain substances, and producing those that are lacking. One of its important functions is the production of a monosaccharide of the glucose type, which is the main source of energy for all body cells. Normally, the supply of glucose is obtained from food, but in cases where the food does not provide all the necessary amount, and the supply of glucose decreases, the liver produces sugar that will satisfy the energy needs of the cells.
"In the research we recently carried out, we found that the HBV virus takes advantage of this process. It turned out that the protein called PCG-1-alpha - which was discovered by scientists at Harvard University, and is the main circuit breaker responsible for the production of glucose in the liver - also activates the production of new copies of the virus. We also found that in mice, a short fast causes the activation of this mechanism, and the replication of viruses. When the mice eat again, PCG-1-alpha is "turned off", and the level of HBV viruses drops rapidly. If these findings prove to be true for humans as well, it means that when we are fed with quality food, the level of the virus is low, but it will rise in the absence of adequate nutrition.

on malnutrition and pollution

"It is known that a chronic viral infection, such as herpes, worsens during periods of physical or mental stress, caused, for example, as a result of illness or depression that weakens the immune system. Our research on the HBV viruses shows that there is probably another pathway by which the virus can multiply without restraint: as a result of poor nutrition of the person who 'hosts' it. This may explain why hepatitis B is so common in developing countries in Asia and Africa, where many people are malnourished. Furthermore, it is possible that differences in dietary habits can explain the variation in the development of the infection in different people, and in the results obtained in different geographical areas. For example, the incidence of liver cancer among chronic carriers of HBV is much greater in China than in Africa.

Changes in dietary habits

"Our research shows that people who carry the hepatitis B virus should avoid fasting, even for a short period of time. It is extremely important that they eat more complex carbohydrates, such as whole rice, which cause a slow and gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream - and minimize simple carbohydrates, such as white sugar. This nutritional recommendation is true for everyone, but it is essential for people who carry the HBV virus, who may need to eat complex carbohydrates before bed as well. "Unfortunately, commercial companies have so far shown no interest in examining recommendations of this type. Nevertheless, we hope that a way will be found to conduct clinical trials to confirm our hypothesis, according to which people infected with chronic HBV virus infection can use nutrition as a life-saving medicine, and not just as a supportive measure."