I roto i te ao matatini o te rongoā hou, he maha ngā wā ka taea e te whakamātautau toto ngāwari te āwhina wawe i te wawaotanga me te whakaora i ngā oranga. I roto i ēnei, ko te whakamātautau Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) te mea nui, he maha ngā āhuatanga e whai pānga ana, mai i te aroturuki i te whanaketanga o te kukune ki te whawhai ki te mate pukupuku i roto i ngā pakeke.

Mō ngā tekau tau, ko te whakamātautau AFP te pou o te tirotiro i mua i te whānautanga. Hei pūmua i hangaia e te ate o te kōpū, ko ngā taumata AFP i roto i te toto o te wahine hapu me te wai amniotic he matapihi nui ki roto i te kōpū. Ina whakauruhia ki roto i tētahi rōpū tirotiro whānui, ko te whakamātautau AFP, e mahia ana i waenga i te 15 me te 20 wiki o te haputanga, he tikanga kaha, kāore e pokanoa mō te aromatawai i te mōrearea o ngā hapa whānau kino. Ka taea e ngā taumata teitei rawa te tohu i te pikinga o te mōrearea o ngā hapa ngongo io, pērā i te spina bifida, te anencephaly rānei, i te wā kāore e whanake tika te roro, te taurakira rānei. I tetahi atu taha, ko ngā taumata iti ka tohu i te pikinga o te mōrearea mō ngā hapa ira tangata, tae atu ki te Down syndrome. Mā tēnei pūnaha whakatūpato wawe ka taea e ngā kaiwhakarato hauora te tuku atu i ngā whakamātautau tātaritanga, te tohutohu, me te whai wāhi ki te whakarite mō te tiaki motuhake ki ngā mātua, ka waiho hei wāhanga nui o te tiaki whānau haepapa.

Heoi, ko te hiranga o te whakamātautau AFP kei tua atu i te rūma whānau. I roto i tētahi huringa whakamiharo, ka puta anō tēnei pūmua o te kōpū hei tohu koiora kaha i roto i te tinana pakeke, ā, he tohu whero tōna aroaro. Mō ngā tohunga puku me ngā tohunga mate pukupuku, ko te whakamātautau AFP te patu matua i roto i te pakanga ki te mate pukupuku ate, inā koa ko te Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

Mō ngā tāngata whai mate ate mau tonu pērā i te cirrhosis, te hepatitis B me te C rānei, ka taea te whakaora i te ora mā te aroturuki auau i ngā taumata AFP. Ko te pikinga o te taumata AFP i roto i tēnei taupori mōrearea nui he tohu wawe mō te whanaketanga o te pukupuku, ka akiaki i ngā rangahau whakaahua wā tika pērā i te ultrasound, i ngā scan CT rānei hei whakaū. Mā tēnei ka taea te wawao i te wā wawe ake, he wā ka taea te rongoā o te mate, ka tino whakapai ake i te tūponotanga ora. Hei tāpiri, ehara i te mea ko te tātaritanga anake te whakamātautau. Mō ngā tūroro kua rongoatia mō te HCC, ka whakamahia ngā inenga AFP raupapa hei aroturuki i te whai huatanga o te rongoā me te tirotiro mō te hokinga mai o te mate pukupuku.

Ka horapa atu hoki te whai huatanga o te whakamātautau ki te tātaritanga me te whakahaere i ngā pukupuku pūtau ira, pērā i ngā mea e kitea ana i roto i ngā ovaries, i ngā testes rānei. Hei tauira, ko te taumata AFP teitei i roto i te tāne he puranga testicular, he tohu kaha ki tētahi momo mate pukupuku motuhake, e ārahi ana i ngā whakatau maimoatanga mai i te tīmatanga.

Ahakoa tōna mana, e kī ana ngā tohunga hauora ehara te whakamātautau AFP i te taputapu tātaritanga takitahi. Me whakamārama ngā hua i roto i te horopaki—me te whakaaro ki te tau o te tūroro, te āhua hauora, me ētahi atu whakamātautau. Ka puta pea ngā hua pai me ngā hua kino. Heoi, kāore e taea te whakakore i tōna uara.

Hei whakamutunga, ko te whakamātautau AFP te kaupapa o te rongoā ārai me te rongoā matatau. Mai i te tiaki i te hauora o te whakatupuranga e whai ake nei ki te whakarato i tētahi whakatūpato wawe nui mō ngā mate pukupuku kaha, ko tēnei whakamātautau toto maha-whakamahinga tonu hei pou mō te rongoā tātaritanga. Ko tōna whakamahinga tonu me te whai whakaaro i roto i te mahi haumanu he tohu i tōna hiranga pumau ki te tiaki me te tiaki i te hauora o te tangata.