Warning Palm oil affects the spread of cancer

Doubt seems to be confirmed: Researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Research in Barcelona (Institute for Research in Biomedizine IRB) came to testify that a fatty molecule in palm oil called palmic acid changes cancer genome and increases the likelihood of cancer spreading.

Cancer metastases remain the main cause of the death of cancer patients, for by now most metastatic patients can only be treated but not healed. It is estimated that metastases are responsible for 90% of all cancer deaths, about 9 million deaths worldwide.

According to the results now published in Nature magazine, palm oil palmytic acid stimulates metastases in oral cancer and skin cancer melanoma. Other fatty acids, such as oleic acid (pleasant in olive oil), and linoleic acid (in the seeds of linen), did not show that effect.

Marker „

The authors have also identified several markers “memories”, which remain in tumor cells. They modify cells in such a way that even months after exposure to palmitic acid, they maintain greater ability to metastase.

But not only palm oil palm acid seems to stimulate the spread of cancer. Researchers from Barcelona discovered that metastatic tumor cells are equipped with a sensitivity to fat in 2016.

Protein CD36 supplies cancer cells with food that they need to survive far from the actual tumor. This effect of CD36 has already been tested for ovaries, bladders, and lungs.

Study Aims to Develop therapy

According to Dr. Helen Rippon, executive director of Worldwide Cancer Research, the latest results of the study in Barcelona are <x0... a breakthrough to understand the report between diet and cancer, and also to use that knowledge of the development of new cancer treatments”.

With the prospect of possible therapy, Professor Salvador Aznar-Bennah, senior leader of the group at the IRB Barcelona and lead author of the study, says the “is too early to determine what food patients with metastatic cancer can eat to slow the metastatic process. Based on our results, it may be thought that a poor diet on palm acid can slow down the metastatism process, but more research is needed. ”

How bad is palm oil?

Palm oil is long suspected to be involved in the development of diabetes, vascular diseases, and cancer in the first place because of the high percentage of full fatty acids. In addition to this cancerous substance, it can be born during its industrial processing. If palm oil becomes highly heated,genders form 3 - MPCPD and esters of glicidol fatty acids, which the German Institute for Risk Rating ( It classifies them as carcinogenic.

Palm oil is almost everywhere

But palm oil is still found in chips, chocolates, and candy, cookies, margarine, children's food, and ready foods. It is also found in cosmetics, soaps, and candles. Because palm oil is much cheaper than sunflower oil, writes DW, broadcasts Top Channel .

But anyone who wants to give up palm oil can easily find alternative products without palm oil. This benefits not only health but also the environment, for palm oil plantations often destroy tropical forests or other habitats that need protection.