Gut Microbiota and Obesity: Impact on Breast Cancer Progression

Eating an excessive amount of fatty food may aggravate breast cancer, according to a study by Chinese scientists published in the American journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team, headed by medical professionals and researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, cautioned that obesity could potentially hasten tumor growth or reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy, resulting in a more unfavorable prognosis. A diet high in fat is considered a significant risk factor for the malignant advancement of cancers due to the disruption of the gut microbiota. The researchers emphasized that gut microbiota associated with obesity were linked to a poor prognosis and advanced clinicopathological conditions in female breast cancer patients. The study findings were based on an examination of clinical data, genetic sequencing of gut microbiota, and experiments on mouse models.

Further analysis revealed that gut microbiota affected by a high-fat diet led to an overproduction of the amino acid leucine, a process that accelerated disease progression and worsened outcomes for breast cancer and melanoma. However, the research also suggested a potential 'gut-bone marrow-tumor axis' that could serve as a promising target for anti-cancer therapeutic approaches. Previous studies have indicated a correlation between excess weight and cancer development. The University of Texas in the United States highlights maintaining a healthy weight as a crucial step in reducing cancer risk, second only to avoiding smoking. Global data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the number of obese individuals worldwide has doubled to nearly 900 million between 1990 and 2022, with approximately 2.5 billion adults worldwide classified as overweight.