Recent preclinical studies have identified a molecular link between the high consumption of linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid found in many common seed oils (such as soybean, safflower, and corn oils), and the growth of aggressive cancers, specifically the triple-negative breast cancer subtype and colon cancer tumors.
šļøKey Study Findings:
šAggressive Breast Cancer: A Weill Cornell Medicine study, published in Science, found that linoleic acid can activate a major growth pathway in tumor cells by binding to a protein called FABP5. This activation promotes the growth of the hard-to-treat ātriple-negativeā breast cancer in mouse models. Patients with this aggressive subtype of breast cancer often had higher concentrations of linoleic acid in their tumors and blood.
šColon Cancer: A separate study published in Gut suggests that specific omega-6 fatty acids found abundantly in ultra-processed foods (which are often cooked with seed oils) may promote inflammation, a known risk factor for colon cancer development. This may contribute to the rising rates of colon cancer among younger populations.
