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There's a meal which can give you liver cancer if you take just one bite

Home> News> Food & Drink

Published 19:03 17 Oct 2023 GMT+1

There's a meal which can give you liver cancer if you take just one bite

Scientists have linked cancer cases to the dish

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

Thai cuisine is loved around the world for its iconic dishes, from Papaya Salad to Thai Green Curry.

However, one dish you probably haven't heard of is so dangerous that just one bite can lead to liver cancer.

Reports suggest that 20,000 people in Thailand die every single year from eating the popular dish.

The dish is particularly popular in one of the nation’s poorest provinces, Isaan, who have have the highest reported number of cases.

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Locals are hesitant to the change due to the taste and convenience of the meal.
Wikimedia Commons

Known as koi pla, the plate is made up of minced raw fish, mixed with lemon juice, herbs and spices.

Even though millions of Thai people consume it on a regular basis, it's not the type of fish that is the issue.

Locals reportedly source the fish from a water location in the Mekong region, which contains parasitic flatworms - or live flukes - which are consumed by the fish.

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These flatworms contain bile duct cancer and that's why Isaan has the highest reported instance of cholangiocarcinoma.

Doctor Narong Khuntikeo is fighting against the delicacy after both his parents died from liver cancer after eating it.

"It’s a very big health burden around here," the liver surgeon told Agence France-Presse.

"But nobody knows about this because they die quietly, like leaves falling from a tree."

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Khuntikeo, has joined forces with scientists, doctors and anthropologists, who have spent four years testing villagers from the Isaan region for the parasite.

Using ultrasound machines and urine testing kits, the doctor found that as much as 80 per cent of inhabitants from some communities were found to have ingested the deadly parasite.

While he's trying to spread information and warnings over the koi pla dish - alongside local health officials have introducing a school curriculum geared at teaching children about the risks of raw foods - Khuntikeo has said he's faced issues with the older generation.

Koi pla is said to claim the lives of 20,000 Thai people each year.
Wikimedia Commons

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"They’ll say: 'Oh well, there are many ways to die,'" the health professional said.

"But I cannot accept this answer."

One farmer from the Khon Kaen province, Boonliang Konghakot, does not have an issue with it, and said: "I used to come here and just catch the fish in the pond...it’s so easy to eat raw."

Thanin Wongseeda, another villager who was being screened as part of Khuntikeo's initiative, revealed: "I’ve never been checked before, so I think I will probably have it because I’ve been eating (koi pla) since I was little."

Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Chainwit / BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images

Topics: Cancer, Health, Travel, Food and Drink, World News, Science

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish has an MA in Multimedia Journalism and is passionate about delivering sarcastic/mildly amusing content. After studying business at undergrad, Anish realised that he’d much prefer getting paid to rant about a topic, rather than to find a solution to it. Apart from that, he loves the ‘Four F’s’, as he calls it - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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@Anish_Vij

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