Our body’s natural healing processes are impaired when we eat ultra-processed foods and unhealthy oils, and this weakening of our defenses allows tumors to fester and grow into life-threatening colon cancer.

Researchers at the University of Southern Florida (USF) Health and Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Cancer Institute investigated the potential link between our Western diet, dominated by ultra-processed foods and unhealthy oils, and the chronic inflammation that feeds and drives tumor growth.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury, invaders, or infection. Chronic inflammation occurs when this response persists longer than is helpful and instead of helping us, it causes a negative impact on our tissues or organs.

“It is well known that patients with unhealthy diets have increased inflammation in their bodies,” said Dr. Timothy Yeatman, professor of surgery at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and associate director of the Center for Translational Research and Innovation at Tampa General Hospital Cancer. Institute.

“Now we’re seeing this inflammation in the colon tumors themselves, and cancer is like a chronic wound that won’t heal – if your body is living on ultra-processed foods every day, its ability to heal the wound is reduced due to inflammation and suppression of the immune system, which ultimately allows the cancer to grow,” he said Yeatman.

Colorectal cancer caused by poor diet

Chronic inflammation, which researchers believe may be fueled by poor dietary choices, is now believed to play a critical role in the growth and progression of colorectal cancer.

“Our bodies are designed to actively address inflammation through bioactive lipid compounds derived from the healthy fats like avocados that we consume,” said Ganesh Halade, an associate professor at the USF Health Heart Institute in the Morsani College of Medicine and a member of the faculty of medicine. Cancer Biology Program at TGH Cancer Institute.

“Bioactive lipids are very small molecules that come from the foods we eat, and if the molecules come from processed food products, they directly disrupt the immune system and drive chronic inflammation.”

Halade used a highly sensitive technique to detect small amounts of lipids – or fats – in 162 tumor samples from TGH patients. The tumors were frozen within 30 minutes of their removal and transported to his laboratory.

Inside the tumors, the team observed an excess of molecules that promote inflammation and a shortage of those that help resolve it and promote healing.

What should we do with UPF in our diet?

Professor Francis Finucane, consultant endocrinologist at Galway University Hospitals, leads a specialist hospital service for patients with severe and complicated obesity in Ireland.

He has extensive clinical research experience investigating the molecular and physiological mechanisms that cause complications of obesity and how these changes are modified with dietary and physical interventions.

“We know without a doubt that consumption of ultra-processed foods is a risk factor for all major chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“We need to educate the public about the harms associated with UPF. We need clear front-of-pack nutrition labels to help consumers make more informed decisions. We should limit the marketing and advertising of UPF, especially to children and their parents.”

“We should expand ‘sugar taxes’ to include foods that are ultra-processed, and then earmark that money for prevention and treatment initiatives.”