Cancer becomes far more dangerous when it spreads from its original location to other parts of the body. This process is known as metastasis, and it is responsible for most cancer-related deaths.
Once cancer cells travel to new organs, the disease becomes much harder to treat. Because of this, scientists around the world are trying to understand what triggers cancer to spread and how this process might be stopped.
A team of researchers at IRB Barcelona has recently discovered a surprising factor that may influence how cancer spreads. Their work suggests that a common fat called palmitic acid could help certain cancers become more aggressive. The study was led by Professor Salvador Aznar‑Benitah and was published in the scientific journal Nature.
Palmitic acid is a type of fatty acid found naturally in many foods. It is especially abundant in palm oil, which is widely used in processed foods such as snacks, baked goods, and packaged meals. Palm oil is popular in the food industry because it is inexpensive, stable at high temperatures, and has a long shelf life.
While fats are an important part of a healthy diet, scientists know that different fats can affect the body in different ways. Some fats are considered beneficial for health, while others may increase the risk of disease when consumed in large amounts.
In the new study, researchers investigated whether certain dietary fats could influence how cancer behaves. They focused on palmitic acid and compared its effects with other fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. These other fats are commonly found in foods like olive oil, nuts, and flaxseeds.
The scientists found that palmitic acid had a unique and concerning effect on cancer cells. In experiments involving mice, cancer cells that had been exposed to palmitic acid became much more capable of spreading throughout the body. This effect was particularly noticeable in cancers such as oral cancer and melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer.
One of the most surprising discoveries was that palmitic acid seemed to leave a lasting “memory” in cancer cells. Even after the fat was no longer present, the cells remained highly aggressive and continued to spread more easily. This suggests that the fat was able to permanently change how the cancer cells behaved.
These lasting changes did not occur because the DNA of the cancer cells was altered. Instead, the researchers found that palmitic acid caused epigenetic changes. Epigenetics refers to changes in how genes are turned on or off without altering the genetic code itself. These changes can influence how cells function and how they respond to their environment.
In this case, palmitic acid appeared to reprogram the cancer cells in a way that made them more capable of moving through the body and forming new tumors. The researchers also observed another unusual effect. Cancer cells exposed to palmitic acid seemed to encourage the growth of a network of nerves around the tumor.
This nerve network allowed cancer cells to communicate more effectively with nearby tissues. It also helped them adapt more easily when they reached new organs in the body. As a result, the cancer cells were better able to survive and grow in new environments, which made the disease more aggressive.
These findings are important because they reveal a possible connection between diet and the behavior of cancer cells.
However, the researchers emphasize that the results do not mean people should immediately remove palm oil or palmitic acid from their diets. The study was conducted in animal models, and more research is needed to understand whether the same effects occur in humans.
The research team is now exploring ways to block the changes caused by palmitic acid. If scientists can prevent cancer cells from gaining these aggressive traits, it may be possible to slow or stop metastasis. The researchers hope to develop new treatments that target this process and eventually test them in clinical trials.
If successful, these treatments could provide new hope for patients with cancers that have a high risk of spreading. Preventing metastasis would make many cancers easier to control and could significantly improve survival rates.
The study also raises broader questions about how everyday dietary choices may influence disease. Palm oil is used in a large number of processed foods around the world, which means many people consume palmitic acid regularly. Understanding how this fat affects the body may eventually help guide dietary advice for people at risk of certain diseases.
For now, scientists stress that more studies are needed before making firm conclusions about diet and cancer spread. Still, the research highlights how complex the relationship between food and health can be. What we eat does more than simply provide energy—it may also influence how diseases develop and progress.
The work led by Professor Salvador Aznar‑Benitah at IRB Barcelona represents an important step in understanding how cancer metastasis begins. By uncovering the role of palmitic acid in this process, the study opens the door to new strategies that could one day help stop cancer from spreading.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
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