By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing
Key Takeaways
- Chronic inflammation, fueled by poor dietary choices, plays a vital role in the growth and progression of colorectal cancer
- With cutting-edge technology, this study reveals how ultra-processed foods and inflammatory seed oils used in packaged food products may contribute to chronic inflammation.
- This study paves the way for a new therapy, resolution medicine, which uses natural products in lieu of synthetic drugs, to help reverse inflammation and potentially reverse colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, may be fueled by the food on our plates. Researchers at ±«Óătv Health and Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute have uncovered a potential link between the Western diet – dominated by ultra-processed foods and unhealthy oils –and the chronic inflammation that drives tumor growth.
Dr. Timothy Yeatman and Ganesh Halade | Photo by: Ryan Rossy
The researchers, recently funded by the National Institutes of Health with a five-year, , have already made major advancements in the understanding of colorectal cancer. , a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, the project’s first study examines how processed foods are likely hindering the body’s natural healing processes. Dr. Ramani Soundararajan and Michelle Maurin, advanced research scientists in the ±«Óătv Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Surgery, are the study’s first authors.
“It is well known that patients with unhealthy diets have increased inflammation in their bodies,” said corresponding author , professor of surgery in the and associate center director for Translational Research and Innovation at the . “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.”
According to Yeatman, this study emphasizes the urgent need to reevaluate the components of the Western diet, which typically consists of excessive consumption of added sugars, saturated fats, ultra-processed foods, chemicals and inflammatory seed oils. In , the ±«Óătv Health Heart Institute found an imbalanced diet not only impacts colorectal cancer, but also plays a role in other diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
Examples of healthy, unprocessed foods
crab, salmon, halibut, spinach, brussels sprouts, seaweed, algae and grass-fed, pasture-raised meats, etc.
Examples of ultra-processed foods
ice cream, sausages, chips, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, doughnuts, carbonated drinks, instant soups, some alcoholic drinks, etc.
“Our bodies are designed to actively resolve inflammation through bioactive lipid compounds derived from the healthy fats, like avocados, that we consume,” said , associate professor in the in the Morsani College of Medicine and member of the Cancer Biology Program at TGH Cancer Institute. “Bioactive lipids are very small molecules derived from the foods that we eat and, if the molecules are coming from processed food products, they directly imbalances the immune system and drives chronic inflammation.”
Dr. Yeatman reviewing images of the tumors | Photo by: Ryan Rossy
While the molecules are difficult to detect, Halade used a highly sensitive analytical technique to detect trace amounts of lipids in 162 tumor samples from patients at Tampa General Hospital. The tumors were frozen within 30 minutes of removal and transported to his lab via , in collaboration with and the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at TGH Cancer Institute.
Inside the tumors, the team observed an excess number of molecules that promote inflammation and a shortage of those that help resolve it and promote healing. These findings pave the way for a new, natural approach, resolution medicine, which focuses on restoring balance in the patient’s diet to treat colorectal cancer more effectively.
“A human’s immune system can be extremely powerful and drastically impact the tumor microenvironment, which is great if harnessed correctly for health and wellness,” Yeatman said. “But not if it’s suppressed by inflammatory lipids from processed foods.”
Resolution medicine would focus on reversing inflammation using healthy, unprocessed foods rich with omega-3 fatty acids and derivatives of fish oil called “specialized pro-resolving mediators,” to restore the body’s healing mechanisms along with and .
“This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, moving beyond drugs to harness natural healing processes,” Yeatman said. “It’s a vital step toward addressing chronic inflammation and preventing diseases before they start.”
Early trials using specialized derivatives of fish oil have shown promise in addressing inflammation at its root cause. The trials are underway at TGH Cancer Institute and the team will continue studying resolution medicine and its impact on patient treatment and disease prevention.
This research was done in collaboration with national and international partners at Moffitt Cancer Center, Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Merck Research Laboratories in Boston, Florida Digestive Health Specialists in Bradenton and Hokkaido University in Japan.