MIT researchers link high-fat diets to colorectal cancer spread

Researchers from MIT, Harvard Medical School, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and University Hospital Essen have identified a biological pathway that promotes the spread of colorectal cancer. Published in the journal Science, the study suggests that diets high in fat may trigger this process by increasing the production of ceramides, a class of lipid molecules.

These ceramides act as a switch to activate a cellular mechanism involving the YAP1 protein. While this protein normally aids in tissue repair and regeneration, in cancer cells, it enhances multiplication and facilitates metastasis to other organs, such as the liver. MIT biology professor Omer Yilmaz noted that inhibiting the enzymes responsible for ceramide production could potentially serve as a target for pharmaceutical intervention to prevent cancer cells from spreading.