A new study by scientists at IRB Barcelona has found a worrying link between a type of fat called palmitic acid and the spread of certain cancers. Palmitic acid is found in palm oil, which is a common ingredient in many processed foods.
The research, led by Professor Salvador Aznar-Benitah and published in the journal Nature, shows that this fatty acid helps cancer spread, especially in cases of oral cancer and melanoma (a type of skin cancer).
Cancer can become much more dangerous when it spreads to other parts of the body, a process called metastasis. While treatments can manage cancer that has spread, it is still very hard to cure. This study looked at how diet might affect how cancer spreads, and found that palmitic acid may play a key role in helping cancer grow and move through the body.
Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. We need them for energy and to build cells. However, not all fatty acids act the same way in the body. The researchers found that while palmitic acid promotes the spread of cancer, other fats like oleic acid (found in olive oil) and linoleic acid (found in flaxseeds) did not have the same effect.
The study also revealed something even more concerning. Palmitic acid not only helps cancer spread, but it also causes long-lasting changes in the cancer cells. These changes are called epigenetic modifications.
They don’t change the DNA itself, but they affect how genes are turned on or off. Because of this, even after palmitic acid is no longer part of the diet, the cancer cells still behave in a way that makes them more likely to spread.
In experiments using mice, the researchers added palmitic acid to the animals’ diets. They found that this encouraged the cancer cells to spread. The palmitic acid seemed to “reprogram” the cells so they could build a special network around the tumor. This network helped the cancer cells talk to nearby cells and travel to other parts of the body more easily.
One key discovery was that the changes caused by palmitic acid helped cancer cells survive in new places in the body. This made the cancer more aggressive and harder to treat.
The research team is now working on developing new treatments that could stop palmitic acid from helping cancer spread. They plan to start clinical trials to test these treatments in different types of cancer. If these trials are successful, the new therapies could offer a way to slow down or stop cancer from spreading.
Even though these results are promising, the researchers say it is too early to tell people with cancer to avoid palm oil or palmitic acid completely. More studies are needed to see if changing the diet can really help prevent cancer from spreading.
This research also raises bigger questions about how diet affects cancer. Since palm oil is found in many foods, scientists and doctors may need to take a closer look at how diet choices influence health. For now, the study shows that understanding what we eat could play an important part in fighting cancer.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to fight cancer with these anti-cancer superfoods, and results showing daily vitamin D3 supplementation may reduce cancer death risk.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
