Ever wondered how your favorite high-fat snacks might be doing more than just adding a few extra pounds? 🧐 A team of researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in the Chinese mainland has uncovered a surprising link between fat-loving gut microbes and cancer progression.
These scientists discovered that a high-fat diet (HFD) doesn't just affect your waistline—it also nurtures certain gut bacteria that release a chemical called leucine. This amino acid, commonly found in proteins, seems to play a sneaky role in helping cancer cells grow and spread.
Using models in cancer-bearing mice, the team noticed that elevated levels of leucine in the bloodstream were associated with poorer outcomes, especially in women battling breast cancer. 😔 The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, shines a light on how our diet directly influences our gut microbiome and, in turn, our health.
But wait, there's more! The research also found that these unruly gut microbes might be making it harder for some cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and certain immune therapies, to do their job against breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma.
\"Our findings open up new possibilities for anti-cancer therapies by targeting the abnormal metabolism of gut microbiota,\" the researchers shared. 🚀
So next time you're reaching for that extra slice of pizza or a greasy burger, remember: your gut buddies are listening, and they might have bigger plans than you think! 🍔🔬
Reference(s):
Fat-nurtured microbes in gut promote cancer progression: study
cgtn.com
