Researchers at Arizona State University, USA, find that a high-fat diet leaves lasting changes in intestinal stem cells, potentially increasing the risk of tumor development.
About one in 25 people develop colon cancer during their lifetime, and obesity increases the risk by 30–50%. Colon cancer can arise when intestinal stem cells, which normally produce new cells to maintain a healthy intestine, begin to grow uncontrollably. A new study published today in Stem Cell Reports reveals how a high-fat diet can alter these stem cells and promote tumor development.
Led by Miyeko Mana, the researchers fed mice a Western-style high-fat diet for approximately six months. Compared with mice on a low-fat diet, these mice gained more weight and developed more intestinal stem cells, which also grew faster. Mice genetically predisposed to intestinal cancer developed more and larger tumors when fed the high-fat diet.
The researchers also identified changes in the DNA of intestinal stem cells that may help explain their increased growth and survival. Although stem cell behavior returned to normal after mice switched to a low-fat diet, some DNA changes persisted. After four weeks, approximately 18% of these changes remained.
When mice returned to a high-fat diet, their intestinal stem cells responded more quickly and strongly than those of mice exposed to the diet for the first time. Mice genetically predisposed to intestinal cancer also developed more and larger tumors after repeated exposure to a high-fat diet than after a single period of exposure.
The findings suggest that a high-fat diet can leave lasting changes in intestinal stem cells, making them more responsive to future high-fat exposure and, together with genetic mutations, increasing the likelihood of tumor development. The study also suggests that maintaining a healthy, low-fat diet may help regulate intestinal stem cell growth and reduce colon cancer risk.
About Stem Cell Reports
Stem Cell Reports is the open access, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians. Stem Cell Reports is a Cell Press partner journal. Find the journal on X: @StemCellReports .
About ISSCR
Across more than 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to advancing stem cell research and its translation to medicine.
