Cooking Oil Linked to Increasing Rates of Colon Cancer in Young People, Doctors Caution

Certain types of cooking oils may be fueling a surge of colon cancers in young Americans, a government-funded study suggests.

Consuming large amounts of seed oils – which include sunflower, canola, corn and grapeseed – has long been linked to inflammation in the body.

But now a study analyzing the tumors of more than 80 patients with colon cancer has found they may also raise the risk of one of the fastest-growing forms of the disease. 

Researchers found patients’ tumors had high levels of bioactive lipids, microscopic fatty compounds produced when the body breaks down seed oils.

These lipids are believed to be dangerous in two ways – they promote inflammation which helps cancers grow and they prevent the body from fighting the tumors. 

The researchers are urging people to swap from seed oils and instead focus on oils with omega-3 fatty acids such as olive and avocado oil. 

America’s main cancer and heart disease bodies say there is no evidence that moderate amounts of seed oils contribute to those conditions. But there has been a growing movement against them due to studies suggesting they cause inflammation and raise the risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, President-Elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has stated that Americans are being ‘unknowingly poisoned by them.’

The findings come as rates of colon cancer have surged in young Americans.

Diagnoses among people under 50 years old, which are classified as early-onset, are expected to rise by 90 percent in people 20 to 34 years old from 2010 to 2030.

No one cause has been identified but ultraprocessed foods are thought to play a role because they contain fats, sugars and other chemicals that lead to inflammation in the digestive tract.

Authorities like the American Heart Association also suggest there is no evidence that seed oils in moderate amounts cause inflammation.

In fact, the agency said earlier this year that there is ‘no reason to avoid seed oils and plenty of reasons to eat them,’ as they could lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

But the team from the University of South Florida, who did the latest study, said that Americans consume too many of ‘these bad oils.’

The average American consumes almost 100 pounds of seed oils per year, according to some estimates, which is up about 1,000-fold compared to the 1950s. Seed oils became popular in the United States after WW2 thanks to agricultural advances.

The latest study, published Tuesday in the journal Gut, looked at 81 tumor samples from colorectal cancer patients ages 30 to 85. 

Just over half of the patients had stage three or four cancer, while one-third were at stage two. 

The team found that patients with colorectal cancer had significantly higher levels of bioactive lipids than healthier fats in their tumors.

Seed oils naturally contain fatty acids, including omega-6s and polyunsaturated fatty acids. 

These fatty acids are converted into bioactive lipids through a complex biochemical process in the plant seed. 

When consumed, the acids are synthesized in a part of the plant cell called the plastid, which manufactures and stores food.

This makes them form into longer chain fatty acids called arachidonic acid. Enzymes then convert arachidonic acid into eicosanoids, a type of bioactive lipid.

Finding bioactive lipids in the colon suggests the body has metabolized them, which occurs through eating foods that contain omega-6 fatty acids. These have been linked to inflammation in the colon when consumed in excess.

In the case of colon cancer, inflammation causes cells to constantly split and regenerate in the colon, making them more prone to cancer-causing errors like mutations. 

Chronic inflammation also suppresses the immune system’s ability to destroy those abnormal cells.  

Dr Timothy Yeatman, study author and professor of surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said: ‘It is well known that patients with unhealthy diets have increased inflammation in their bodies.

‘We now see this inflammation in the colon tumors themselves, and cancer is like a chronic wound that won’t heal – if your body is living off of daily ultra-processed foods, its ability to heal that wound decreases due to the inflammation and suppression of the immune system that ultimately allows the cancer to grow.’ 

The Florida researchers said that given the findings, treatment focused on resolving inflammation with unprocessed healthy fats like fish oil could help restore the body’s healing mechanisms.

Dr Yeatman said: ‘This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, moving beyond drugs to harness natural healing processes.

‘It’s a vital step toward addressing chronic inflammation and preventing diseases before they start.’