Blow to veganism? Nutrient found in beef and dairy helps fight cancer

• Molecules in animal-derived products activate immune cells and kill cancer
• Compounds in beef and milk improve cancer patients’ response to treatment
• Read more: Plant-based foods are ‘less healthy’ than meat, eggs and milk

Research suggests that molecules naturally found in animal products such as breast milk, meat, and dairy products can infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells.

Researchers at the University of Chicago studied hundreds of different nutrients that affect cancer cell growth and the effectiveness of cancer treatments, and focused on a nutrient called transvaccenic acid (TVA).

They also found that cancer patients with higher levels of this compound in their blood responded better to treatment, suggesting it may have significant benefits as a dietary supplement.

Scientists say this fatty acid is found in beef and milk, but it’s important not to saturate your diet with these products, as they can increase dangerously high cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. I warned you.

Fatty cuts of beef and lamb are more likely to have higher TVA levels than lean cuts, and whole milk and full-fat dairy products are also higher than low-fat and skim milk products.

The anti-cancer power of dairy-derived fatty acids comes from their ability to turbocharge certain immune cells known as T cells. T cells recognize foreign invaders and prompt the immune system to kill them.

Researchers said eating foods rich in this compound or giving it as a supplement to cancer patients could have a measurable effect on reducing tumor size.

“By focusing on nutrients that can activate T-cell responses, we discovered nutrients that actually strengthen anti-tumor immunity by activating key immune pathways,” said Dr. Jing Chen, senior author of the study. I did,” he said.

Her team identified the nutrients by examining a database of about 700 different metabolites (substances produced when the body breaks down food). All of these come from food.

They then compiled a library of “blood nutrient” compounds consisting of 235 different molecules derived from nutrients in food.

Each was analyzed for its ability to influence CD8+ T cell activation.

They narrowed it down to six candidates in both human and mouse cells and confirmed that TVA was most effective at activating those immune cells.

After zeroing in on TVA, the researchers fed mice a diet rich in this compound and found that melanoma cells and colon cancer cells proliferated and tumors formed compared to mice fed a control diet. It was found that the possibility of forming

To better understand how TVA was able to slow tumor growth, the research team used gene sequencing that showed that TVA can inactivate a receptor on the cell surface called GPR43. A series of tests were carried out, including new technologies.

GPR43 is activated by short-chain fatty acids produced by bacteria in the gut when fiber is fermented in the colon.

TVA was able to inactivate GPR43 and instead activate the CREB pathway, which is involved in various physiological processes including cell proliferation and the function of various genes.

Finally, the researchers analyzed blood samples from patients undergoing a type of cancer treatment that alters T cells to improve their ability to fight blood cancers such as lymphoma.

Patients with higher blood TVA levels tended to have a better response to treatment compared to patients with lower metabolite levels.

When they tested leukemia cells in a lab setting, they found that TVA enhanced the ability of targeted therapies to kill leukemia cells.

Dr. Chen said, “Even after millions of years of evolution, only a few hundred food-derived metabolites end up circulating in the blood, so it is unlikely that they have any significance in our biology.” This means that there is a possibility that

“It’s really exciting to see that a single nutrient like TVA has a very targeted mechanism on the target immune cell type and has a very deep physiological response at the level of the whole organism. I think that’s surprising and interesting.”

TVA is found not only in beef and lamb, but also in milk and fats from dairy products such as cheese and butter.

According to nutrition experts, it’s generally okay to eat these foods in moderation. It contains essential proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that are less common in other types of foods.

A report released by the United Nations in May concluded Nutrients essential for health and development, such as protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B12, choline, creatine, and taurine, are not readily available from plant-based foods.

However, consuming too much of the good stuff can lead to arteriosclerosis and increased cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease and early death.

A study published last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate the most red meat (about 2.5 servings a day) had a 62 percent higher risk of developing the condition compared to people who ate less red meat. There was found. Even if only slightly.

It was also found that for each day of processed red meat eaten, the chance of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 46%.

However, they found that substituting one serving of red meat for dairy products lowered the risk by 22 percent.

“There is early data showing that other plant-based fatty acids signal through similar receptors, so we believe plant-based nutrients can do the same by activating the CREB pathway,” Dr. Chen said. I think there is a high possibility that we will do so.”

The Chicago team’s findings were published in the journal Nature.