Researchers are raising concerns about the potential dangers of certain foods and cooking oils in cancer prevention. A new study released Tuesday suggests that some dietary choices could be linked to the rise in colon cancer among young adults.
Imbalance of omega fatty acids linked to increased cancer risk, study finds
A Western diet with ultra-processed foods and unhealthy cooking oils like sunflower, grapeseed, canola, and corn may disrupt the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids essential to good health. Excess omega-6 fatty acids in the body can hinder the anti-inflammatory and tumor-fighting benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, according to the study.
“There are mutations every day in the GI (gastrointestinal) tract, and normally they’re quashed right away by the immune system with the help of molecules or mediators from omega-3s,” Dr. Timothy Yeatman, a senior coauthor of the study published in Gut, a top gastroenterology journal, told CNN.
“But if you have a body subjected to years of a chronic inflammatory milieu created by an imbalance of omega-6s, the type commonly found in ultraprocessed and junk foods, I believe it’s easier for a mutation to take hold and harder for the body to fight it,” said Yeatman, a surgical oncologist and professor at the University of South Florida and the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute.
The U.S. food supply Is largely made up of processed foods
According to two Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute reports, more than 73% of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed, and 53% of those ultra-processed foods are cheaper and less expensive than the healthier alternatives.
“It surprised me how a considerable amount of highly processed food is mistakenly considered healthy because the public narrative still focuses on one nutrient at a time, instead of evaluating food as a whole,” Giulia Menichetti, Senior Research Scientist at the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University, and senior author of the reports, told Food Tank in 2022.
Why are more younger people being diagnosed with colon cancer?
The seed oils contributed to cancerous tumors in over 80 individuals aged 30 to 85. These tumors contained elevated levels of bioactive lipids, oily molecules that accumulate in the body from unhealthy oils, according to The Independent and the Gut study.
Colon cancer is more common among younger adults than those aged 50, the National Cancer Institute states. The disease is more deadly for younger men, and it’s the third deadliest for women, behind breast and lung cancer.
Several factors like obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and some genetic conditions may also lead to colon cancer.
