Colon cancer can be driven by the foods we eat. Researchers of the University of South Florida and the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute (USA) have discovered a possible link between the Western diet (dominated by ultra-processed foods and unhealthy oils) and the chronic inflammation that drives tumor growth.
Researchers have seen how ultra-processed foods, such as ice cream, sausages, French fries, industrial bread, donuts, carbonated drinksinstant soups, some alcoholic beverages, etc., are probably hindering the body’s natural healing processes.
The results are published in the journal ‘Gut‘.
It has long been known that people who follow unhealthy diets have greater inflammation in their bodies, he notes. Timothy Yeatmanresearch leader. “Now we see this same inflammation in colon tumors themselves, and cancer is like a chronic wound that won’t heal: if your body is fed ultra-processed foods daily, its ability to heal that wound decreases due to inflammation and suppression of the immune system which ultimately allows cancer to grow.
According to Yeatman, the findings emphasize the urgent need to reevaluate the components of the Western diet, which generally consists of excessive consumption of added sugars, saturated fats, ultra-processed foods, inflammatory chemicals and seed oils.
In previous studies, it had already been detected that an unbalanced diet not only affects colorectal cancer, but also plays a role in other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
“Our body is designed to actively resolve inflammation through bioactive lipid compounds derived from healthy fats,” he says. Ganesh Haladeauthor of the research. “Bioactive lipids are very small molecules derived from the foods we eat, and if the molecules come from processed food products, they directly unbalance the immune system and cause chronic inflammation.”
Findings emphasize urgent need to reevaluate components of the Western diet
Halade and his team used a highly sensitive analytical technique to identify lipids in 162 tumor samplesfinding an excess of inflammatory molecules and a lack of those that promote healing, suggesting a therapeutic approach based on restoring molecular balance to treat colorectal cancer more effectively.
“The human immune system can be extremely powerful and dramatically affect the tumor microenvironment, which is great if harnessed correctly for health and well-being,” says Yeatman. But not if it is suppressed by the inflammatory lipids in processed foods.
Resolution medicine would focus on reversing inflammation using healthy, unprocessed foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil derivatives called ‘specialized pro-resolution mediators’, to restore the body’s healing mechanisms along with a balanced sleep and exercise.
Cure cancer
“This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, going beyond medications to harness natural healing processes,” explains Yeatman. It is a vital step for address chronic inflammation and prevent diseases before they appear.
Early trials with specialized fish oil derivatives have shown promise in addressing inflammation at its source. Trials are underway in the TGH Cancer Institute and the team will continue to study resolution medicine and its impact on treating patients and preventing disease.
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