Fat Can Speed Up Cancer Progression

Cancer is considered to be one of the most frightening illnesses known to man

Plenty of research published at Ukmedix News has focused on how being overweight or obese significantly increases your chances of literally hundreds of different types of cancer. Despite the fact that many people are not aware of this, obesity kills thousands of people every year in the UK by causing cancer. New research recently published in the clinical journal Cell has gone one step further and shown how a high fat diet and obesity can trigger a benign tumour into becoming a potentially life-threatening form of cancer.

The research done by a team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute discovered an enzyme called monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) which cancer cells can interact with to turn body fat into special molecules for signaling which encourages the cancer cells to grow bigger and therefore more dangerous. The researchers therefore said that men and women who have just been diagnosed with cancer should possibly be given a low fat diet to reduce the chances of the cancer growing.

Professor Daniel Nomura one of the study authors said that someone with an aggressive cancer could ‘exacerbate the cancer's growth’ with a high fat diet or if they are obese. He also explained that while scientists have known for years that obesity is connected to higher rates of cancer of the pancreas, kidney, breast and many more there is still no definite overall clinical model showing the exact processes by which it occurs. He said that this new research could lead to more research in the future that may be able to fully explain the connection between obesity and cancer.

Doctors should be encouraged to warn patients that if they are overweight or obese they are not just in danger from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction just to name a few but the cancer risk should be spelled out in clear terms.

Cancer is considered to be one of the most frightening illnesses known to man and therefore its potential fear factor should be utilised to get people to eat healthily and lose weight.