Fat in Common Cooking Oil Linked to Breast Cancer

A recent study has identified a link between linoleic acid, a common fat contained in cooking oils, and aggressive breast cancer, but a professor says the findings require careful interpretation to ‘avoid unnecessary alarm,” reported in SurreyLive on April 25.  Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid which is found in soybean, sunflower and corn oils.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York showed it can directly activate growth in triple-negative breast cancer cells - an aggressive form of the disease which makes up about 15% of all breast cancer cases.   In the new study, mice fed a high linoleic-acid diet developed larger tumors, suggesting dietary intake may exacerbate the cancer’s growth. High linoleic acid levels were also found in blood samples from triple-negative breast cancer patients.                                                                      
Linoleic acid is essential for skin health, cell structure and inflammation regulation. Professor Justin Stebbing, Biochemical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University said, “Modern diets, which are rich in processed foods, ultra processed foods and seed oils, often provide excessive omega-6 fats, including linoleic acid, while lacking omega-3s, which are found in fish, flaxseeds and walnuts. This imbalance could promote chronic inflammation, which is a well-known contributor to cancer and other diseases. The study therefore suggests that linoleic acid may directly drive cancer growth in specific contexts.”