A new study conducted by researchers from the University of South Florida in the United States has revealed that ultra-processed foods may increase the risk of colon cancer by fueling inflammation in the body. Scientists believe that the results of the study may “revolutionize cancer treatment.”
Scientists discovered a possible link between inflammatory foods in the diet and the growth of tumors in the intestine, by analyzing the tumors of people with cancer. The results of the study were published in the British Medical Journal on December 10.
“It is known that patients who follow unhealthy diets experience increased inflammation in their bodies,” said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Timothy Yeatman, a professor of surgery at the University of South Florida and associate director of the Center for Translational Research and Innovation at the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute in the United States, according to Newsweek. We now see this inflammation in colon tumors themselves, and cancer is like a chronic wound that will not heal. If your body lives on highly processed foods daily, its ability to deal with this wound is reduced due to the inflammation and suppression of the immune system that… “It eventually allows the cancer to grow.”
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer — cancer that affects the colon, rectum, or both — is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
The disease is increasing among young people in particular, having almost doubled since the early 1990s. A study conducted by the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital found that diet-induced inflammation may be one of the main reasons behind this.
Scientists at Tampa General Hospital removed, frozen and analyzed 162 tumor samples from colorectal cancer patients to look for signs of inflammation.
Inflammation is a critical function of the immune system, but in some people – such as those who eat inflammatory diets – the inflammation may never subside.
“Ultra-processed foods often use low-cost, inflammatory seed oils (soybean, sunflower, canola, etc.) along with high sugar and salt, all of which trigger an inflammatory response,” says Yeatman. “These foods are also common in restaurants.” Fast food.
Ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods are defined as foods that have been produced industrially, using manufacturing methods and chemical additive ingredients that are not available to someone cooking at home.
The scientists concluded that their study could pave the way for the future of cancer control, which involves replacing pro-inflammatory foods with anti-inflammatory foods in the diet.