Health
Cooking oil linked to colon cancer in early study, tied to inflammation
Researchers have revealed another potential reason to avoid ultraprocessed foods.
Seed oils — which are plant-based cooking oils that are often used in processed, packaged foods — have been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, according to a new study published this week in the medical journal Gut.
Researchers at University of South Florida (USF) Health and Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute analyzed 162 tumor samples from colon cancer patients, according to a USF press release.
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They found that the tumors contained “an excess number” of molecules that cause inflammation and “a shortage” of healing molecules.
Seed oils — which are plant-based cooking oils that are often used in processed, packaged foods — have been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, according to a new study. (iStock)
“It is well-known that patients with unhealthy diets have increased inflammation in their bodies,” said study author Dr. Timothy Yeatman, professor of surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and associate center director for Translational Research and Innovation at the TGH Cancer Institute, in the release.
“We now see this inflammation in the colon tumors themselves, and cancer is like a chronic wound that won’t heal – if your body is living off of daily ultra-processed foods, its ability to heal that wound decreases due to the inflammation and suppression of the immune system that ultimately allows the cancer to grow.”
“It is well-known that patients with unhealthy diets have increased inflammation in their bodies.”
The findings highlight the potential harms of the Western diet, according to Yeatman. In addition to “inflammatory seed oils,” he also cited culprits like added sugars, saturated fats, ultra-processed foods and chemicals.
“A human’s immune system can be extremely powerful and drastically impact the tumor microenvironment, which is great if harnessed correctly for health and wellness — but not if it’s suppressed by inflammatory lipids from processed foods,” the researcher said.
Dr. Timothy Yeatman and Ganesh Halade, co-authors of the study, are pictured in the lab. (Ryan Rossy)
In prior studies, the same research team found that an “imbalanced diet” also increased the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, the release stated.
Based on these findings, the researchers recommend treating cancer with “resolution medicine,” which would aim to reverse inflammation using healthy, unprocessed foods rich with omega-3 fatty acids and derivatives of fish oil, according to the above source.
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Regular exercise and balanced sleep would also play important roles in the resolution medicine approach.
“This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, moving beyond drugs to harness natural healing processes,” Yeatman said.
“It’s a vital step toward addressing chronic inflammation and preventing diseases before they start.”
Dr. Yeatman reviews images of the tumors in the lab. (Ryan Rossy)
The new USF study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
There are currently clinical trials underway at TGH Cancer Institute to study the potential benefits of resolution medicine in treating and preventing disease.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
Dietitians weigh in
Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietician and expert from the Atlanta metropolitan area, said she doesn’t think it’s accurate to suggest that seed oils cause cancer.
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The expert pointed out that there is an “overwhelming body of scientific literature” that shows the positive health benefits of replacing saturated fats (like lard and butter) with unsaturated fats (like safflower oil).
“This includes a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease, which is the No. 1 killer in America,” she told Fox News Digital.
One dietitian recommended using olive oil, noting that there’s a “significant body of evidence” for its use as part of a Mediterranean approach to eating. (iStock)
However, Collins said, “It is something to watch as we continue to better understand why colon cancer has been on the rise, and how diet impacts that increased rate.”
Seed oil isn’t the only problem with ultraprocessed foods, the dietitian pointed out.
“They tend to be very high in sodium, fat and sugar,” Collins said. “Lacking fiber and nutrients, but high in calories, they taste delicious, but don’t promote good health.”
To reduce the risk of colon cancer, dementia and many other diseases, Collins recommends cutting out smoking, limiting alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a fiber-rich diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Ganesh Halade is pictured in his lab using a highly sensitive analytical technique to detect trace amounts of lipids in 162 tumor samples from TGH Cancer Institute. (Ryan Rossy)
In terms of cooking oils, Collins recommends using olive oil, noting that there’s a “significant body of evidence” for its use as part of a Mediterranean approach to eating.
“Extra-virgin olive oil can be a wonderful, versatile oil to use in low-medium heat cooking and it tastes great, and has a very good fatty acid profile,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“For higher-heat cooking, I like avocado and peanut oils for their high smoke point and neutral flavor, and they too have good fatty acid profiles.”
Collins agrees with the researchers’ recommendation to increase the intake of omega-6 fatty acids, as the American diet is “woefully deficient.”
“It is something to watch as we continue to better understand why colon cancer has been on the rise, and how diet impacts that increased rate,” a dietitian said. (iStock)
“Fatty fish, like salmon, is the best source — these can also be found in some nuts and seeds, including walnuts and chia, but they are not as bioavailable or absorbable as those of fish,” she added
Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist (kidney specialist), noted that the study is “preliminary and far from definitive.”
“Why take a chance?”
“The hypothesis is that eating too many seed oils means we have too many omega 6 fats, which are pro-inflammatory, and inflammation can be an important contributing factor to cancer,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“It’s an interesting and plausible hypothesis, but not definitive.”
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Even so, Fung confirmed that he does not keep any seed oils at home.
“I only use olive oil and butter for my cooking at home. Why take a chance?”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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