A groundbreaking study by researchers from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego has shed light on how high-fat diets can predispose individuals to colorectal cancer by altering gut bacteria and bile acids.
The study adds to growing concerns about the rising prevalence of colorectal cancer among individuals under the age of 50, a phenomenon increasingly linked to obesity and high-fat diets.
Gut Bacteria and Bile Acids
The researchers discovered that mice fed high-fat diets had altered levels of specific gut bacteria.
These bacteria, in turn, modified bile acids—molecules involved in digestion—in ways that promoted inflammation and affected the replenishment rate of intestinal stem cells.
When these cells don’t replenish frequently, they accumulate mutations, thereby increasing cancer risk.
Missing Links
In a 2019 study, the team had shown that high-fat diets increase overall bile acid levels, affecting a key protein called Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and thereby increasing the prevalence of cancer.
This new study fills in the missing links about how high-fat diets change gut microbiome and bile acids, contributing to colorectal cancer.
Impact Greater than Genetic Mutation
Interestingly, the study found that high-fat diets had a greater impact on gut microbiome and bile acid modification than even genetic mutations that increase cancer susceptibility.
Strains of Concern
Two specific strains of bacteria—Ileibacterium valens and Ruminococcus gnavus—were identified as key players in producing modified bile acids that contribute to an inflammatory environment, thus paving the way for cancer.
Implications and Future Research
According to co-senior author Professor Ronald Evans, the findings offer a better understanding of how high-fat diets influence the gut and thereby increase cancer risk.
This could pave the way for interventions targeting specific bacteria or bile acids to reduce cancer risks.
Future studies aim to examine how quickly gut microbiome and bile acids change with high-fat diet consumption and to explore ways to reverse the cancer-associated effects by targeting the FXR protein.
Conclusion
This study marks a significant advancement in our understanding of the complex interplay between diet, gut bacteria, and bile acids in promoting colorectal cancer.
The research opens new avenues for preventing and reversing the deleterious effects of high-fat diets on gut health and cancer risk.
For those concerned about the increasing rates of colorectal cancer, especially among younger populations, these findings provide crucial insights that could inform dietary recommendations and medical interventions.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing higher intake of dairy foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk.
The study was published in Cell Reports.
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