Omega-6 Fatty Acid Promotes the Growth of an Aggressive Type of Breast Cancer
Scout Impact
Adds evidence that linoleic acid, a major component of harmful seed oils, promotes aggressive breast cancer growth through a specific molecular mechanism.
Key Takeaways
- A diet high in linoleic acid led to larger and faster-growing tumors in mouse models.
- Linoleic acid binds to the FABP5 protein, activating the mTORC1 growth-signaling pathway.
- Elevated markers associated with this pathway were found in blood and tumor samples from newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.
Summary
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine identified a specific molecular mechanism by which linoleic acid — the omega-6 fatty acid that dominates industrial seed oils such as soybean, corn and safflower oil — fuels triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive subtype. Linoleic acid binds the FABP5 protein, which is abundant in these tumors, activating the mTORC1 growth-signaling pathway. In mouse models, a diet high in linoleic acid produced larger, faster-growing tumors, and the same activated markers were elevated in blood and tumor samples from newly diagnosed patients. The findings, published in Science, provide a concrete biological pathway linking a major seed-oil component to cancer growth.