In the third and final part of a series of articles, medical student Adrienne Gatt looks at how one can reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by cutting down on the amount of cholesterol in one’s diet.
Fatty foods include those containing a high percentage of fats, including meat, dairy products and various oils, among others. There are many different types of fats that can be found in food, the two most common types being cholesterol and fatty acids.
Fats are an important part of our diet as they are involved in energy production, which allows us to carry out various vital functions. However, studies have proven that fats promote the development of various types of cancer, colon cancer being one of them. It not only facilitates the spread of tumour cells in the body but also increases the blood supply of these tumour cells to further promote their growth.
How does cholesterol affect my chances of developing colon cancer?
High cholesterol levels is said to be a potential cause of colon cancer. Elevated cholesterol causes mutations within the cells of the colon, converting them into cancer cells. These cancer cells then break down the cholesterol in your body to produce energy, ultimately resulting in a decrease in your cholesterol levels. In fact, patients who are diagnosed with colon cancer have shown to have lower cholesterol levels in comparison to healthy patients. This occurs because cholesterol production by the body is not able to keep up with the breakdown of cholesterol by these cancer cells.
Elevated cholesterol causes mutations in the cells of the colon, converting them into cancer cells
If I have high cholesterol, does my colon cancer risk increase?
If you have high cholesterol levels and you do not take the necessary medication to lower it, it can potentially increase your chances of developing colon cancer for the reasons explained previously. However, if you have high cholesterol levels and you take statins, which are cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as Simvastatin and Atorvastatin, this can potentially have preventative effects against colon cancer. Statins keep cholesterol levels low and so will not allow cancer cells to use cholesterol for energy production, hindering the survival of these cells.
How do fatty acids affect my chances of developing colon cancer?
In general, high levels of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids have shown to contribute to the development of colon cancer. These fatty compounds have the ability to influence the functioning of normal cells, ultimately promoting malignancy.
Omega-6 fatty acids, for example, commonly found in red and processed meats, promote inflammation, which in turn encourages tumour cell formation. On the other hand, Omega-3 fatty acids, mainly found in fish, are known to be beneficial to human health and can even prevent colon cancer development. These compounds have anti-inflammatory properties, as opposed to Omega-6, which ultimately protects the body from cancer cell formation due to its chemotherapeutic properties.
What can I do to reduce my risk of colon cancer?
With respect to fatty foods, it is important to reduce the amount of cholesterol taken in through your diet, in order to prevent a rise in your body cholesterol, as this can contribute to colon cancer development.
If your cholesterol levels are high, whether genetically inherited or whether due to diet, it is important to take medication to treat this condition. By taking your pills, your cholesterol levels will go down and this will lower your chances of developing colon cancer.
It is also important to reduce the amount of Omega-6s in your diet, as these also increase your risk of colon cancer. Therefore, it is ideal to reduce the amount of red and processed meat ingested in order to lower Omega-6 levels in your body.
On the other hand, it is encouraged to eat foods rich in Omega-3s, such as fish, as these fatty compounds have the ability to lower your risk of developing colon cancer.
Adrienne Gatt is a medical student studying at the University of Malta who wrote a literature review on the effect of dietary compounds on colon cancer as part of her medical studies. The other two articles were published on September 6 and 27.