Cancer spread is increased by a high fat diet...

leanjogreen18

It is a rodent study so take it with a grain of salt...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161207132117.htm

I put this in debate because I wasn't sure where to put it. I am interested in the interpretation of this data.

stealthq

After reading the source paper, I find it interesting that the methods don't specify that the control and high fat diet mice were fed isocaloric diets. Under Methods > Animal Studies:

"High-fat diet experiments were performed by feeding the mice with a 60/Fat Research diet (TD.06414, Harlan) for 7 days before inoculating the mice with the tumour cells and thereafter. Normal diet was used for control groups. For doxycycline treatment, mice were treated continuously with 50 μg ml–1 of fresh doxycycline in light-protected drinking water that contained 5% sucrose. Glucose levels were measured once a week at a controlled time by using a glucometer (BAYER, ContourRnext)." nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20791.html

I find it difficult to comment when that variable, that I would think would be an obvious one to control, isn't accounted for. Maybe it is mentioned elsewhere and I missed it?

I will say that I've seen papers with similar results (not the metastasis, but the increased tumor size) in human cell culture before when the typical culture media (which is very low fat) is supplemented with fats to levels typical of human blood. However, it was considered questionable that the increased size would lead to poorer outcomes (except where tumor size has an impact - such as blocking the esophagus) because the larger tumors were due to internal necrotic lesions. The overall cell proliferation was determined to be at the same rate as the controls.

I'll also comment that CD36 is present on a lot of cell types (platelets, erythrocytes, monocytes, differentiated adipocytes, skeletal muscle, mammary epithelial cells, spleen cells and some skin microdermal endothelial cells) - from Wikipedia, but accurate as far as it goes. There are more recently discovered types that are also CD36+. To my knowledge, and I don't study cancer so I may be completely off base, cancers originating in those cell types are not unusually metastatic save for the ones that pretty much circulate freely and have that advantage. I'd be curious to know if the metastatic cells for those types of cancers correlate with increased functional CD36+ on the cell membrane. Just increased expression of CD36 wouldn't necessarily mean anything.

chocolate_owl

This is way, way, way out of my depth, but there has been some investigation into dietary fat and cancer before that seems to support this idea. I don't know if the idea of palmitic acid promoting spreading is particularly groundbreaking? The ACS already recommends more plant-based foods and a lower-fat diet for cancer patients. I think the CD36 protein is more what the researchers want to investigate further.

This study suggests that PUFAs are inhibitory to the spread of certain cancers, whereas MUFAs and saturated fats are not:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1968911/

This study suggests that drug-resistant cancer cells have altered metabolism of glucosylceramides, of which palmitic acid is a component:
http://www.jbc.org/content/271/32/19530.short

This study shows correlation between risk of prostate cancer and palmitic acid (among others):
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Trude_Robsahm/publication/240112018_Prediagnostic_level_of_fatty_acids_in_serum_phospholipids_O-3_and_O-6_fatty_acids_and_the_risk_of_prostate_cancer/links/540fe97d0cf2f2b29a3dedca.pdf

This study suggests that when palmitic acid synthesis is shut down, cancer cell apoptosis occurs:
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/10/5287.short

But really, this stuff is over my head, so I might not be reading these right. And admittedly I only read the abstracts, no idea about the quality of the studies...

leanjogreen18

This is way over my head but does it mention how much is "high fat"?

trigden1991

Rodent study. That is all there is to know.

JustMissTracy

I have so many people in my life who are dying of cancer. Everything causes cancer. Take care of yourselves, mind and body, while you're young, be mindful about what you put in your body and breathe in....In the end, even if you do absolutely everything right, it could still get you.

siesofit

Subject:Watch "Ketogenic Diet Explained | Expert, Ketogenic Diet Explained | Expert Panel: https://youtu.be/H7mjm9LyW-c


Study shows that a high fat diet and minimal carb intake can reverse cancer . And study's are being conducted into its works in cancer prevention

dc8066

Very intetesting. I wonder if doxycycline's effect on intestinal flora has any influence on the result

Tullochard

I have been on a ketogenic diet for four years, and have lost 55 lb. I finally quit drinking wine (ample amount) and lost 20 lb in six weeks, and it all came off my back side! I was dx'd with ovarian cancer a few weeks ago, and am sticking with therapeutic ketosis diet and/or fasting which puts me into therapeutic ketosis (Blood ketones greater than or equal to Blood Glucose). I am curious as to the interpretation of the study and perhaps it is confirmation bias that I have the idea that ketosis is helpful in brain and other cancers, though diet alone is not sufficient. My cancer uses both glucose and glutamine, and I have to find a way to block the glutamine path. I look and feel terrific, close to three months post surgery, and I have decline chemotherapy for now. MFP is a great website to log diet and to track my macronutrients. Never thought I would eat Lamb's Brains. But they are reasonably high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

freerange

Does it say what kind of fat, O3 vs O6 %, levels of inflation? IMH non scientific opinion, there is just to much that can have an affect that they are not looking at.