How does a high-fat diet raise colorectal cancer risk?
How does a high-fat diet raise colorectal cancer risk? A new study suggests a molecular explanation for the link between a high-fat diet and colorectal cancer. While the evidence of a link between an unhealthful diet and colorectal cancer is robust, the underlying mechanisms for this association have been unclear. A new study, however, may have uncovered an explanation. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have identified a cellular signalling pathway, called JAK2-STAT3, that drives the growth of cancer stem cells in the colon in response to a high-fat diet. What is more, the researchers found that blocking the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in mice fed a high-fat diet halted the growth of these stem cells, a finding that might fuel the development of new drugs to treat colorectal cancer . Study co-author Dr Matthew Kalady, co-director of the Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program at the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues recently reported their findings ...