Is Breast Cancer Addicted to Fat?
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have discovered that fat may play a far more active role in certain breast cancers than previously understood. According to their findings, some tripleā€‘negative breast cancers are “addicted” to lipids, fats that circulate in the bloodstream and accumulate in tissues, and that link may unlock new approaches to slowing tumor growth.
In a study reported by ScienceDaily, mice with elevated lipid levels alone, regardless of other obesityā€‘related factors like high glucose or insulin, experienced accelerated tumor growth. According to the research team, when these lipid levels were reduced, tumors in the mice grew more slowly despite other metabolic conditions remaining poor.
This discovery signals a major shift in thinking: for breast cancer patients and survivors, controlling lipid levels may be a critical component of treatment. According to the researchers, existing lipidā€‘lowering drugs could be repurposed to limit cancer’s fuel supply and potentially slow its progression.
The implications extend to lifestyle and diet as well. According to the study, very highā€‘fat diets like the ketogenic diet could carry unintended risks, especially for those with elevated lipid levels, not because the calories are high, but because the fat itself may feed certain tumors.
Although this research is still in the preclinical phase, its implications are substantial. According to the team, if human trials support these results, clinicians might soon integrate lipidā€‘monitoring and fatā€‘reducing strategies into standard cancer care, linking diet, drug therapy and imaging for a more tailored approach to treatment.
What this all points to is that fat is more than just tissue or energy reserve. In the context of breast cancer, fat may actively drive disease. Learning how to manage it could be the difference between progression and control.
