This fatty acid may be the bad guy when it comes to ultraprocessed foods

Whether they be sweet, salty, savoury or fatty, all ultraprocessed foods are considered bad for health. — TNS

I love to cook a lot. I consider myself a good cook. But recently, I read an article that said some cooking oils have been linked to rising rates of colorectal cancer in younger people. Now I am afraid. Is this true?

Colorectal cancer incidences have indeed been climbing in people younger than 50 years old.

ALSO READ: Colon cancer is striking at a younger age

A new study published in the medical journal Gut did indeed mention that some lipids, or fatty acids, which are found in ultraprocessed foods may be promoting inflammation.

This inflammation may lead to a higher risk of colorectal cancer being formed.

These findings are echoed in yet another recent study that studied 100 men with early prostate cancer.

Those men who ate less foods with vegetable oils and more foods like salmon had a slower-growing cancer compared to people who ate a normal Western diet.

Once again, it is postulated that vegetable oils lead to more inflammation.

ALSO READ: Stop eating junk food as it feeds cancerous colon tumours

Which lipid or fat in particular is this?

Specifically, omega-6 fatty acids.

These are considered inflammation promoters.

The helpful lipids are omega-3 fatty acids, which help stop inflammation.

It has been noted that in the Western world, over two-thirds of the calories consumed by children and teenagers today come from ultraprocessed foods.

Scientists believe that it is the frequent exposure to advertisements about these foods, plus their convenience and low price, that makes so many people consume them today.

How does inflammation lead to cancer? I thought inflammation was associated with infection.

Inflammation is indeed associated with infection, but also anything else that switches on your immune system.

Your body turns on your immune system as a line of defence against anything that breaches it, e.g. infections, wounds, and even cancer cells.

But if a certain part of your body becomes inflamed over a long period of time, your cells get damaged.

They become unable to fight off the growth of cancer cells.

This makes you more prone to get cancer.

What foods are associated with omega-6 fatty acids?

There is a suspicion among scientists now that ultraprocessed foods are a major source of omega-6 fatty acids.

Ages ago, people did not eat so much ultraprocessed foods.

It is not necessarily that they were healthier though.

There were diseases and infections going on that had no cures like they do today, and many people died of tuberculosis, or something or the other, before they could grow old and get cancer.

But from 1950 onwards, food became more and more processed.

Young people became more exposed to them, especially the poor, because they are cheap and easily accessible as fast food.

Many of these ultraprocessed foods are made from vegetable seed oils.

These include canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil and grapeseed oil.

But it should be noted that the studies did not definitively connect the usage of these oils to colorectal cancer.

This is merely a hypothesis based on certain observations by scientists.

However, ultraprocessed foods are associated with many other diseases.

Is it only oils that are ultraprocessed?

There are many types of ultraprocessed foods. These include:

• Ice cream and other frozen desserts
• Soft drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks
• Packaged snacks – whether they be sweet, salty, savoury or fatty
• Canned or packaged instant soups
• Meat, fish, vegetables, breads or anything else that is packaged
• Cereals that come from boxes and energy bars
• Juices that come out of a box, if they contain sugar
• Margarines and spreads
• Infant formulas
• Meal replacement shakes.

In short, you should eat fresh foods as much as possible and avoid those convenient packaged foods you get in a supermarket.

With more meal planning, it is possible to do this cheaply daily.

But what about the bread that I buy from the supermarket? The common ones that come in plastic packages? We eat bread every day.

This common bread is considered processed, not ultraprocessed.

It is considered less refined and has fewer or no additives; hence, they are generally healthier.

Some examples of processed food are wheat bread, tofu and extra virgin olive oil.

What diseases are associated with ultraprocessed foods?

The BMJ medical journal has published that ultraprocessed foods are linked to more than 30 health conditions, and also associated with death.

These conditions include cardiovascular (heart) diseases, mental disorders and diabetes.

Dementia, obesity and inflammatory gut disease has also been associated with these foods.

Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.