A molecule found naturally in breast milk and animal products such as meat and dairy can infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells, a study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Chicago studied hundreds of different nutrients that affected cancer cell growth and the ability of cancer treatments to work, and focused on one called Trans-vaccenic acid (TVA).
They also found that cancer patients with higher levels of the substance in their blood responded better to the treatment, suggesting it could have major benefits as a nutritional supplement.
The scientists warned that although the fatty acid is present in beef and milk, it is important not to saturate the diet with these products as they can lead to dangerously high cholesterol levels and a greater risk of heart disease.
Animal-derived foods like red meat and milk have been shown to boost cancer-fighting immune cells, slow tumor growth and even improve cancer patients’ response to treatment
Fatty cuts of beef and lamb are likely to have higher TVA content than lean cuts, as are whole milk and full-fat dairy products compared to lean and low-fat cuts.
The anti-cancer power of the dairy-derived fatty acid comes from its ability to boost certain immune cells known as T cells. These cells recognize foreign invaders and trigger the immune system to kill them.
Researchers said eating foods rich in this substance or giving it to cancer patients as a supplement could have measurable benefits in shrinking tumors.
Dr. Jing Chen, senior author of the study, said: ‘By focusing on nutrients that can activate T-cell responses, we found one that actually improves anti-tumor immunity by activating an important immune pathway.’
Her team identified the nutrient after searching a database of about 700 different metabolites – substances produced when the body breaks down food – all of which come from food.
They then compiled a library of ‘blood nutrients’, consisting of 235 different molecules derived from nutrients in food.
Each specimen was analyzed for its ability to influence CD8+ T cell activation.
They narrowed it down to six candidates in both human and mouse cells and saw that TVA was the most effective at boosting those immune cells.
Once they targeted TVA, the researchers fed mice a diet rich in the compound and found that it reduced the chance of melanoma and colon cancer cells growing to form tumors, compared to mice fed a control diet.
To better understand how TVA could slow tumor growth, the team conducted a series of tests, including a new genetic sequencing technique, which showed that TVA can inactivate a receptor on the surface of a cell called GPR43.
GPR43 is activated by short-chain fatty acids produced by bacteria in the intestines when fiber is fermented in the colon.
TVA was able to inactivate GPR43 and instead activate the CREB pathway, which is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including cell growth and the function of several genes.
Finally, the team analyzed blood samples from patients undergoing a form of cancer treatment that modifies their T cells to boost their ability to fight blood cancers such as lymphoma.
Patients with higher levels of TVA in their blood tended to respond better to treatment than patients with lower levels of the metabolite.
And in the lab they tested leukemia cells and saw that TVA improved the ability of targeted therapy to kill them.
Dr. Chen said: ‘After millions of years of evolution, there are only a few hundred metabolites from food that ultimately circulate in the blood, so that means they could be of some importance in our biology.
‘To see that a single nutrient like TVA has a very targeted mechanism on a targeted type of immune cell, with a very profound physiological response at the whole organism level, I find that really amazing and intriguing.’
TVA is found in fat from milk and dairy products such as cheese and butter, as well as in beef and lamb.
According to nutritionists, eating these foods in moderation is generally fine. They contain essential proteins, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that are less commonly found in other foods.
This is evident from a report published by the United Nations in May concluded that necessary nutrients crucial for health and development, such as protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B12 and choline, creatine and taurine ‘cannot be easily obtained from plant foods’.
But too much of a good thing can lead to stiffer arteries and higher cholesterol levels, leading to a higher risk of heart disease and premature death.
A study published last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate the most red meat — about two and a half servings per day — had a 62 percent higher risk of developing the condition compared to those who ate the red meat. ate. least.
And each additional daily serving of processed red meat was associated with a 46 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
However, replacing a portion of red meat with dairy products was associated with a 22 percent lower risk.
Dr. Chen said: ‘There is early data showing that other fatty acids from plants signal through a similar receptor, so we think there is a good chance that plant nutrients can do the same by also activating the CREB pathway.’
The Chicago team’s findings were published in the journal Nature.