A study published in the journal Nutrition Research found that obesity caused by a high-fat diet plays a role in tumor growth, particularly in colon cancer. In the study, researchers assessed the effects of a high-fat diet on colon cancer growth in a mouse model.

• There is increasing evidence that associates colon cancer with obesity. This has been associated with the spread of the Western lifestyle, particularly the consumption of a high-fat diet.
• For the study, researchers at Auburn University and Bassett Medical Center sought to determine the effects of high-fat diet induced obesity on the growth of human colon cancer tumors in a mouse model.
• They also investigated the potential mechanisms that trigger obesity-linked colon cancer tumor growth.
• In conducting the study, they fed mice with either a low-fat diet or high-fat Western diet.
• Then, they implanted human colon cancer xenografts in mice.
• The results revealed that mice fed with a high-fat Western diet gained weight and had increased intra-abdominal fat. Mice in this group also exhibited greater tumor weight compared to mice fed with a low-fat diet.
• In addition, they exhibited higher levels of leptin, but there was no correlation between leptin levels and tumor size.

In sum, the findings of the study indicate that consumption of a high-fat Western diet causes obesity and insulin resistance, which result in accelerated colon cancer growth.

To read more studies on the health effects of high-fat diets, visit CancerCauses.news.

Journal Reference:

O’Neill AM, Burrington CM, Gillaspie EA, Lynch DT, Horsman MJ, Greene MW. HIGH-FAT WESTERN DIET-INDUCED OBESITY CONTRIBUTES TO INCREASED TUMOR GROWTH IN MOUSE MODELS OF HUMAN COLON CANCER. Nutrition Research. December 2016; 36(12): 1325-1334. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2016.10.005