Cross My Palm Oil

Palm oil is a much-used ingredient in foods, soaps etc. It contains palmitic acid, a fatty acid. Adding palmitic acid to mouse diets, promotes the metastasis (spread) of mouth and skin cancers (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/10/fatty-acid-found-in-palm-oil-linked-to-spread-of-cancer). Palmitic acid is not mutagenic (it does not cause cancers). Metastasis is, however, a major cause of death in cancer patients. Exposing cancer cells to palmitic acid seems to alter their genes, switching them to a 'regenerative state'. This encourages cancer cells to populate other organs. Other fatty acids (e.g. oleic and linoleic acids) do not promote metastasis. Eliminating palmitic acid from diets would be very difficult. It is consequently hoped to test whether a protein, known to interfere with the tumour's response to palmitic acid, can benefit cancer patients.