Acid found in palm oil linked to cancer spread, study suggests
Acid found in palm oil linked to cancer spread, study suggests
Researchers have discovered how an acid found in palm oil alters the cancer genome, increasing the likelihood the disease will spread.
The scientists have started developing therapies that interrupt this process and suggest a clinical trial could begin in the next couple of years.
The spread of cancer – metastasis – is the main cause of death in patients with the disease and the vast majority of people with metastatic cancer can only be treated, but not cured, researchers say.
Fatty acids are the building blocks of fat in our body and the food we eat.
Metastasis is promoted by fatty acids in the diet, but it has been unclear how this works and whether all fatty acids contribute to the spread of the disease.
The new study, led by researchers at IRB Barcelona, Spain, found one such fatty acid commonly found in palm oil, called palmitic acid, promoted metastasis in mouth cancers and melanoma skin cancer in mice.
Other fatty acids called oleic acid and linoleic acid – omega-9 and omega-6 fats found in foods such as olive oil and flaxseeds – did not show the same effect.
According to the research, neither of the fatty acids tested increased the risk of developing cancer in the first place.
The research found that when palmitic acid was supplemented into the diet of mice, it not only contributed to metastasis but also exerted long-term effects on the genome.
Even when the palmitic acid had been removed from the diet, cancer cells that had only been exposed to it in the diet for a short period of time remained highly metastatic.
© David Davies A study suggests acid found in palm oil is linked to cancer spread (PA)
Researchers discovered this memory is caused by epigenetic changes to how our genes function..
The changes alter the function of metastatic cancer cells and allow them to form a neural network around the tumour to communicate with cells in their immediate environment and to spread more easily.
By understanding the nature of this communication, the researchers uncovered a way to block it and are now in the process of planning a clinical trial to stop metastasis in different types of cancer.
Professor Salvador Aznar-Benitah, senior group leader at IRB Barcelona and ICREA research professor, and senior author of the paper, said: “I think it is too early to determine which type of diet could be consumed by patients with metastatic cancer that would slow down the metastatic process.
“That said, based on our results one would think that a diet poor in palmitic acid could be effective in slowing down the metastatic process, but much more work is needed to determine this.
“We are not concentrating on this direction of research, instead we are focusing on new potential therapeutic targets that we could inhibit and that could have a real therapeutic benefit for the patient irrespective of their diet.”
Dr Helen Rippon, chief executive at Worldwide Cancer Research, said: “This discovery is a huge breakthrough in our understanding of how diet and cancer are linked and, perhaps more importantly, how we can use this knowledge to start new cures for cancer.
“Metastasis is estimated to be responsible for 90% of all cancer deaths – that’s around nine million deaths per year globally.
Reference: By Nina Massey, PA Science Correspondent
Articles-Latest
- How to Tighten Your Loose Skin After Weight Loss
- Everything You Need To Know Before Getting A Septum Piercing
- What you should know about treating rosacea in darker skin tones
- Shampoos and Conditioners Designed to Soothe Dry, Itchy Scalps
- 3 things an expert wants you to know before getting filler
- Dissolving filler: everything you need to know
- How thread lifts differ to facelifts – and filler injections
- People are using face tape to minimise wrinkles, but does it work? After asking a plastic surgeon, I tried it for myself
- Reality of Black beauty influencing - making foundation with eyeshadow and unequal pay
- All you need to know about treating eczema on Black skin
- How to treat spider veins on your face and legs, tried and tested Story by Ellie Davis • 6d
- Hyperpigmentation: The best treatments
- Skincare Acids Decoded: What AHAs, BHAs & PHAs Actually Do For Your Skin
- Toxic Beauty: Protected by Labelling? The Truth about 'Hypoallergenic' and Dermatologist Tested.
- Makeup technique to 'master' to make mature eyelids look 'totally different' in seconds
- Here’s how to use hair oils if you have fine or thin hair
- Wondered what those little white bumps on your skin are? Here's how to treat milia under your eyes
- Gender neutral skincare isn’t woke – it makes perfect sense
- Anti-ageing gene injections could rewind your heart age by 10 years
- Anti-ageing banana peel hack 'naturally reduces wrinkles and exfoliates skin' fan claim
Cosmetic ingredients
LOGIN
Who's On Line
We have 70 guests and no members online
Articles-Most Read
- Home
- Leucidal
- White Bees Wax
- Cosmetic Preservatives A-Z
- Caprylyl Glycol
- Cosmetics Unmasked - How Safe Are Colorants?
- Cosmetics Unmasked - Choosing Ingredients
- Cosmetics Unmasked - Colorants And Fragrances
- EcoSilk
- Toxic Beauty - Who's Looking At Cosmetics?
- Cosmetics Unmasked - Fragrances
- Chemicals Lingering In The Environment
- Microbes and Safety Standards
- Microbes and Cosmetics
- Toxic Beauty - Hazardous To Your Health
- Yellow Bees Wax
- Potassium Sorbate
- Synthetics In Cosmetics - The Industry Fights Back
- Fresh Goat's Milk Soap
- Active Ingredients
- What's Happening in the USA - Cosmetic Regulations - Toxic Beauty
- Cosmetics Unmasked - Listing Cosmetics
- Natural Waxes A-Z
- Toxic Beauty - Cocktails and Low Doses
- Natural Butters A-Z