Junk food attracts almost every foodie. But, that doesn’t mean you succumb to your cravings every time and start stuffing your stomach with these extremely unhealthy items containing too much oil. Doing that can be debilitating for your body in ways you cannot even imagine. Eating too oily foods can in fact lead to a life-threatening disease called colon cancer as they are packed with unhealthy fats. This is what a recent study has revealed.
The research has shown a link between following a high-fat diet and colon cancer. According to the findings published in the journal Cell Reports, having too oily foods can potentially trigger a cascade of events that can cause colon cancer. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that intake of saturated fats is a risk factor for intestinal cancer and tweaking your dietary habits can cut down this risk by up to 70 per cent.
How Too Much Fat Intake Causes Colon Cancer?
Your body breaks down fats into free fatty acids that stimulate high-fat sensor molecules called PPARs present in intestinal stem cells (ISC). As a result, genes that break down fatty acids turn on, and then fatty acids are transported to mitochondria for energy generation through oxidation. This causes growth, multiplication, and generation of gut tissue. Expansion of ISCs number increases the likelihood of mutations that can further lead to colon cancer.
How to Prevent Colon Cancer?
You need to make some dietary changes to be able to keep colon cancer at bay. Feeding a good amount of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, and calcium to your colon can prevent tumour growth in that area. Also, eating fiber-rich foods like fruits, seeds, nuts, etc. is important to bacteria build-up and promote regular bowel movement. You can opt for colon-friendly foods including fish, non-starchy vegetables, white meat, whole grains, beans, and legumes to reduce your risk of developing colon cancer.