Two popular foods found to progress ‘aggressive’ form of cancer that is hard to treat
The discovery, published in a new scientific study, could lead to new dietary and pharmaceutical strategies against breast and other cancers
A balanced and healthy diet has long been advised by medical experts in preventing specific types of cancers from developing.
Eating foods high in fibre, such as wholegrains, can help reduce your risk of bowel cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
The American Institute for Cancer Research also insists a diet filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and other plant foods helps lower risk for many cancers.
However, a recent study has found that, on the contrary, two popular foods actually contribute to the growth of an aggressive type of breast cancer.
Published on Tuesday, April 1, new research found animal products including pork and eggs specifically enhances the growth of the hard-to-treat “triple negative” breast cancer subtype, according to a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.
Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid found in seed oils such as soybean and safflower oil, also play a part.
“This discovery helps clarify the relationship between dietary fats and cancer,” said aid study senior author Dr John Blenis.
“It also sheds light on how to define which patients might benefit the most from specific nutritional recommendations in a personalised manner.”
In a mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer, a diet high in linoleic acid enhanced tumour growth.
Omega-6 linoleic acid is a diet-derived nutrient that is considered essential in mammals for supporting multiple bodily processes.
However, the abundance of this fat in ‘Western-style’ diets has increased significantly since the 1950s, coinciding with the increased usage of seed oils in fried and ultra-processed foods.
This has led to concerns that excessive omega-6 intake might be one of the explanations for rising rates of certain diseases, including breast cancers.
Researchers tried to clear up this confusion by initially looking at breast cancer, which has been linked to obesity.
They looked at the ability of omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, the dominant one in the Western diet, to drive an important, nutrient-sensing growth pathway called the mTORC1 pathway.
A key initial finding was that linoleic acid does indeed activate mTORC1 in cell and animal models of breast cancers, but only in triple-negative subtypes.
Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of breast cancer where the cancer cells lack oestrogen and progesterone receptors, and they don’t overproduce the HER2 protein.
The scientists discovered that this subtype-specific effect occurs because the polyunsaturated fatty acid forms a complex with FABP5, which is produced at high levels in triple-negative breast tumours but not in other subtypes, leading to the assembly and activation of mTORC1, a major regulator of cell metabolism and cancer cell growth.
Good news, though. The findings could be a good “biomarker” to guide more personalised nutritional and therapeutic interventions for patients with triple negative breast cancer, which currently lacks any targeted therapy.
The same foods could also enhance the growth of some prostate cancer subtypes, researchers added, and even in common chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.