A new study reveals that our food choice directly affects our body’s capability to fight against cancer cells.
According to CNN, a study published in the British Society of Gastroenterology on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, found that the excess of certain omega-6 fatty acids, which are usually found in ultra-processed food, could stop the anti-inflammatory and tumor-fighting properties of other important fatty acids, omega-3.
The senior co-author of the study, Dr. Timothy Yeatman, said, “There are mutations every day in the GI (gastrointestinal) tract, and normally they’re quashed right away by the immune system with the help of molecules or mediators from omega-3s.”
“But if you have a body subjected to years of a chronic inflammatory milieu created by an imbalance of omega-6s, the type commonly found in ultra-processed and junk foods, I believe it’s easier for a mutation to take hold and harder for the body to fight it,” he continued.
Experts noted that most Western diets have high omega-6 fatty acids because of the seed oil, which is often used in fast food and ultra-processed food, which makes up to 70% of the US food supply.
An omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, is found in corn, peanut, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils, which make up a big part of the average American's diet.
Furthermore, as per research done in November 2015, it was found that a large number of the population have excess omega-6 and insufficient omega-3 in their bodies, and it is expected that over the past 50 years, the amount of omega-6 in Americans' bodies has increased by 136%.
