A new study has found that a type of fat in many everyday foods might help cancer spread in the body. This fat is called palmitic acid, and it’s found in palm oil.
Palm oil is a common ingredient in many processed foods, such as snacks, baked goods, and even some personal care products.
Scientists at IRB Barcelona, led by Professor Salvador Aznar-Benitah, discovered that this fatty acid may play a big role in helping some cancers grow and spread. The research was published in the scientific journal Nature.
Cancer spreads through a process called metastasis. This is when cancer cells move from the place where the cancer started to other parts of the body. Metastasis is the main reason why cancer becomes deadly. Although there are many treatments for cancer, stopping it from spreading is still very hard.
The researchers wanted to find out if diet has something to do with how cancer spreads. They studied different types of fats called fatty acids. These are found in many foods and are also part of the body’s natural systems. Some fatty acids are good for health, but not all of them act the same way. In this study, palmitic acid was found to be harmful.
They tested the effects of palmitic acid on two types of cancer: mouth cancer and melanoma, a kind of skin cancer. When mice were fed palmitic acid, their cancer spread more easily and quickly.
What’s more troubling is that even after the palmitic acid was removed from the diet, the cancer cells “remembered” the exposure. The cells stayed aggressive and kept spreading.
This “memory” comes from something called epigenetic changes. These are changes in how cells use their genes, without changing the actual DNA. It’s like switching the lights on or off in a house without changing the wiring. Palmitic acid seemed to switch on some genes that help cancer spread and survive in new parts of the body.
The scientists also noticed that cancer cells exposed to palmitic acid became better at working with their surroundings. They built a kind of nerve-like network around the tumor, helping them talk to nearby tissues and move to other areas. This made it easier for cancer to grow in other organs.
The good news is that the research team is now working on ways to block this harmful process. They hope to develop new treatments that can stop palmitic acid from making cancer more dangerous. Clinical trials are planned to test these treatments in humans. If they work, it could lead to new ways to stop cancer from spreading.
However, scientists say it’s too early to tell people to change their diets just based on this study. Even though it might seem smart to avoid palmitic acid, more research is needed to know for sure what works.
This study raises big questions about how what we eat affects our risk of getting or fighting cancer. Since palm oil is in so many foods, this discovery may lead to new health advice in the future.
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.
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