Studies suggest that dietary fat plays a role in some cancers.
But while some fats promote tumor growth, other fats actually inhibit it, according to Kent Erickson, chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy at UC Davis. There are big differences between saturated and unsaturated fats. It each case, the mechanisms for tumor growth or reduction are not well-understood. Erickson has been on a quest to unlock the riddle of how dietary fats regulate tumor growth for over a decade. Indeed, health magazines a few years back bulged with articles about how omega-3 oils could help cardiovascular health, including lowering total serum cholesterol, and how they could inhibit tumor growth to boot.