A new study has revealed that the common fatty acid dramatically strengthens the body’s ability to fight cancer.
In an innovative study, recently Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapyit was discovered that a healthy fatty acid present in olive oil and dried fruits It “supercharges” immune cells specialized in fighting cancer.
Medical researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) discovered that the oleic acid (OA) – the type found in olive oil – potencia as cells T gd (or gamma delta T cells).
As detailed by , the team made this discovery while investigating how different fatty acids in the diet could influence this small subset of T cells that act as rapid response “soldiers” against infections and tumor growth.
It is known, for example, that these immune cells become dysfunctional in people who are obese or who have a diet high in saturated fats.
The researchers isolated human γδ T cells and grew them in the laboratory. Afterwards, they exposed a set of them to the AO and another to the palmitic acid (PA)which is commonly found in palm oil, meat and dairy products. They then assessed cell survival, metabolic activity and tumor destruction capacity. The cells treated with OA not only remained viable, but also showed signs of a metabolism working at full strength; its mitochondria remained stable, its signaling was balanced and its tumor destruction mechanism was intact.
“Our research suggests that Supplementation with dietary fatty acids, in particular foods rich in OA, such as olive oil and avocado, can reinforce γδ T cell immunosurveillanceleading to more effective cancer treatments”, praised the study’s main author to New Atlas, Tu Wenweifrom the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at HKUMed.
But calm down… be careful with the AP
However, in turn, the cells exposed to PA suffered metabolic failure and inflammatory self-destruction. Their energy production mechanism collapsed and they died in a way that made the surrounding immune environment even more hostile.
Thus, if OA can reinforce and strengthen T cell responses to tumors, the AP essentially did the opposite.
“The results indicate that the Cancer patients should avoid AP and consider OA supplementation in their dietsin order to improve the clinical outcomes of cancer therapies based on γδ T cells”, concluded Tu.
Consume AO and avoid AP
As New Atlas states, although these findings were demonstrated in mouse models and cell cultures, they reinforce a growing argument in the field of immunometabolism, according to which Certain natural fats have wide-ranging benefits for cellular health. And, conversely, some can cause more harm than good.
“For cancer patients, this finding suggests simple changes, such as consume more foods rich in OA (such as olive oil, avocados and nuts) and reduce the consumption of OA (present in processed foods, palm oil and fatty meats)which can improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments,” said Tu.
However, the researchers warn that their conclusions should not be interpreted as an authorization to consume large amounts of olive oil or supplements, as the results have not yet been reproduced in human models.
