High-fat diet accelerates breast cancer growth in lab models

A study published in APL Bioengineering tested four diets (high-insulin, high-glucose, high-ketone, and high-fat) on engineered triple-negative breast cancer tumor models and found the high-fat diet sped up tumor growth and invasion, with increased activity of the enzyme MMP1. Using a plasmalike medium to mimic the body’s nutrient environment, researchers isolated dietary effects on cancer behavior and plan to explore whether diet also influences chemotherapy response in the future; however, these results are from lab models and human relevance remains to be established.