Surprising study finds meat and milk may prevent cancers in the gut

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Researchers have uncovered a surprising link between the food we eat and the prevention of tumors in the small intestine. More importantly, the Japanese team behind this study found the answer to suppressing tumors in several unlikely foods — including milk and meat.

Led by Hiroshi Ohno, a team of scientists at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences has revealed that food antigens – particularly those found in meat and milk – may be the unsung heroes in keeping our guts tumor-free. This discovery turns the table on the often-vilified food antigens, best known for their role in allergic reactions to common foods like peanuts and shellfish.

“Small intestinal tumors are much rarer than those in the colon, but the risk is higher in cases of familial adenomatous polyposis, and therefore the clinical use of elemental diets to treat inflammatory bowel disease or other gastrointestinal conditions in these patients should be considered very carefully,” Ohno cautions, highlighting the potential risks of antigen-free diets, in a media release.

The study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, used a clever experimental design involving mice prone to intestinal tumors. When fed a diet lacking in food antigens, these mice developed significantly more tumors in their small intestines compared to those on a regular diet. The plot thickened when the researchers added a common food protein, albumin – found in meat – to the antigen-free diet (AFD). The results were striking. This addition suppressed tumor growth to levels similar to those seen in mice on a normal diet.

Specifically, mice on the AFD developed significantly more tumors in their small intestines compared to those on a regular diet. Additionally, when the researchers added a common food protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), to the AFD, the number of tumors decreased to levels similar to mice on the normal diet.

The team didn’t stop there. They delved deeper into the mechanisms at play, focusing on special structures in the small intestine called Peyer’s patches. These tiny lumps of lymphoid tissue act like surveillance outposts for the immune system. The researchers found that these patches were crucial for the tumor-suppressing effect of food antigens.

In mice lacking Peyer’s patches, the protective effect of a normal diet was lost, and they developed as many tumors as the mice on the antigen-free diet. This suggests that Peyer’s patches play a vital role in processing food antigens and stimulating the immune response that keeps tumors at bay.

The study also sheds light on the importance of a particular type of cell found in Peyer’s patches called M cells. These cells act like gatekeepers, allowing food antigens to pass from the gut into the patch, where they can interact with immune cells. When the researchers used mice lacking M cells, they observed a trend towards increased tumor formation, further emphasizing the intricate relationship between diet, the immune system, and tumor prevention.

While this research was conducted in mice, it opens up exciting possibilities for human health. It suggests that maintaining a diet rich in diverse food antigens could be beneficial for preventing small intestinal tumors. However, the researchers caution that more studies, particularly in humans, are needed before any definitive conclusions can be drawn.

This research not only challenges our understanding of diet and cancer but also raises important questions about certain dietary practices. The findings suggest that trendy antigen-free or elemental diets, sometimes adopted for weight loss or to reduce inflammation, might do more harm than good when used without proper medical guidance.