Can Using Seed Oil Cause Colon Cancer?

As per the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, each year, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, with more than 50,000 people dying from it. 1 in 24 people in the US are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime, with the average age being 66 in both men and women. It is one of the most common cancers in the US, and is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths.

In 2924 alone, mentions American Cancer Society, 106,590 new cases were diagnosed, with an estimate of 53,010 deaths. But why is there such a surge? Commissioned by the US government, a study published in Gut Journal, titled the Integration of lipidomics with targeted, single cell, and spatial transcriptomics defines an unresolved pro-inflammatory state in colon cancer, identified seed oils as the possible contributing factor for colon cancers in Americans.

It might be the popular cooking oils, used in the ultra-processed American diets that are leading to a surge in colon cancer cases. These oils include sunflower, grapeseed, canola, and corn. These seeds are capable of triggering chronic inflammation in the body, found the study. However, before this, the evidence linking cooking oil to colon cancer had been inconclusive.

What did the study find?

The study found that the tumors showed increased levels of bioactive lipids, which are small oily molecules produced when the body metabolises sed oils, compared to healthier fats. This also noted for an increasing inflammation, as bioactive lipids hinder body's natural healing process and foster tumor growth.

So, what are the healthier options? The researchers said that using oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids could be a healthier alternative.

Experts have suggested that the findings stressed an urgent need to reevaluate parts of the Western diet, including added sugars, saturated fats, ultra processed foods, chemicals, and inflammatory seeds. Experts also warned individual against a diet cooked in seed oil as it leads to an increased inflammation, which can be seen in the colon tumors as well. As per experts, cancer is like a chronic would 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 untimely allows the cancer to grow.

Is there a catch?

Dr Timothy Yeatman, study co-author and professor of surgery at the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital's Cancer Institute mentions that the study does not mean that seed oils cause cancer. “But it suggests that omega-6s—prominent in seed oils—when taken in large daily amounts to the degree that they swap out the omega-3s in a 15-20:1 ratio, could induce a state of chronic inflammation and local immunosuppression,” he says.

The problem arises when your body has too many omega-6 fatty acids in your diet and not enough anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids may keep those omega-3s from doing its job. This could allow tumor mutations "to take a foothold when otherwise they might be destroyed," explains Dr Yeatman.