US Research Team Reveals Findings from Obese Mouse Study
"Accelerates Tumor Growth and Weakens Immunity"
A recent animal study has found that diets high in animal fats, such as pork lard, beef tallow, and butter, accelerate tumor growth and impair anti-tumor immune responses necessary for cancer treatment. In contrast, plant-based fats did not exhibit these negative effects. This analysis suggests important implications for cancer prevention and treatment in individuals with obesity.
Cream is generally classified into vegetable cream made from palm oil and other plant oils, and animal cream made from milk. Getty Images
A research team led by Professor Lydia Lynch from Princeton University and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research published their findings on July 31 (local time) in the medical journal Nature Metabolism. The study investigated the effects of animal fats and plant-based fats on tumor models in obese mice.
The results of this animal experiment confirmed that the type of fat consumed is a major factor in promoting tumor growth. Professor Lynch stated, "High-fat diets derived from lard (purified pork fat), beef tallow, and butter accelerated tumor growth in obese mice, whereas plant-based fat diets did not." She added, "These findings provide important implications for cancer prevention and treatment in people with obesity."
Co-researcher Professor Marcia Haigis from Harvard University said, "For cancer patients, replacing animal fats with plant-based fats could be beneficial," adding, "Such dietary changes may also help reduce the risk of cancer development in obese individuals."
Obesity is a risk factor for at least 13 major cancers, including breast, colorectal, and liver cancer, and is known to impair anti-tumor immune responses necessary for cancer treatment. In this study, the research team fed obesity-induced mouse models diets containing animal fats (lard, beef tallow, butter) and plant-based fats (coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil) for 10 weeks and investigated how fat metabolites affected the function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells as well as tumor development.
The results showed that metabolites from animal fats impaired the function of NK cells and CTLs, and this immune dysfunction contributed to accelerated tumor development in obese mice. However, this phenomenon was not observed in obese mice fed plant-based fats. Additionally, palm oil-based diets were found to actually enhance anti-tumor immunity and slow tumor growth.
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