Health warning as latest study reveals cooking oil linked to colon cancer

Colon cancer could be caused by certain types of cooking oils, a new study has warned.

Oils like sunflower, canola, corn and grapeseed have been highlighted as oils of concern.

The piece published in the medical journal Gut analysed 80 patients with colon cancers in the US.

It found the cooking oils increased the risk of developing colon cancer in the patients aged between 30 to 85.

The research found people should swap seed oils for oils that contain omega-3 fatty acids like olive and avocado oil.

Seed oils are responsible for higher levels of lipids that produce fat compounds in the body – and more than 25% of the calories in our diets come from eight seed oils: rapeseed, sunflower, flaxseed, corn, grapeseed, soybean, rice bran, and safflower.

These oils also lead to inflammation in the body because they contain omega-6 and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Tim Yeatman, a professor of surgery and lead author of the study, told Good Health: ‘Eating excess omega 6s results in excess pro-inflammatory lipid [i.e. fats] mediators, which results in an immuno-suppressed environment of the colon cancer.

‘And I think it allows [the cancer] to grow and prosper and propagate.’

He suggests swapping to oils with more omega 3s, like olive or avocado oil, adding: ‘Olive oil has many proven health benefits and is a central component in the Mediterranean diet consistently shown to be the healthiest eating pattern.

‘Avocado oil, too, has benefits for heart and eye health and more.’

Main cancer bodies in the US though say there is no evidence moderate consumption contributes to a rise.

Seed oils were originally invented by candle maker William Procter in the 1900s.

They soon became a staple to be used across America and the world.

The rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes have been linked to increase seed oil consumption – but Sarah Berry, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, suggests the growing amount of processed food in our diets may be the actual cause.

She said: ‘A lot of ultra-processed foods contain seed oils – but they also contain high levels of sugar, salt and other additives, while lacking nutrients.

‘So eating a lot of ultra-processed foods which contain seed oils might be linked to an increased risk of obesity and other conditions, but it’s not the seed oils that are to blame.’

In the UK, it was reported in April that ‘forever chemicals’ were found in common UK fruits, vegetables and spices.

They are called ‘forever chemicals’ because they take centuries to break down in the environment.

PFAs can accumulate in the bodies of living organisms including humans.

They have been linked to severe health conditions, including kidney and testicular cancer, an increase in cholesterol and high blood pressure in pregnant women.

Nick Mole, from Pan UK, said: ‘Given the growing body of evidence linking PFAs to serious diseases such as cancer, it is deeply worrying that UK consumers are being left with no choice but to ingest these chemicals, some of which may remain in their bodies long into the future.

‘We urgently need to develop a better understanding of the health risks associated with ingesting these “forever chemicals” and do everything we can to exclude them from the food chain.’

This article was first published on December 12, 2024

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