Ultra-processed foods like ice cream, chips and soda, the risk of colorectal cancer – and prevent the body from fighting cancer, according to new research.

“Cancer is like a chronic wound that doesn’t heal: if your body lives on ultra-processed foods every day, its ability to heal that wound diminishes,” said Dr. Timothy Yeatman, professor of surgery at the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF).

Yeatman blames UPFs for causing harmful inflammation and suppressing the immune system, allowing cancer to grow. In their study published TuesdayYeatman and colleagues suggest using resolution medicine to reverse inflammation and restore the body’s healing mechanisms to pave the way for more effective treatment of colorectal cancer.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to illness or injury. Chronic inflammation this is when the response remains active even after the threat has passed. This can be due to poor diet, physical inactivity, disturbed sleepstress and obesity – and that can damage DNA over time.

Yeatman’s team analyzed 162 tumor samples from colorectal cancer patients at Tampa General Hospital (TGH). Inside the tumors, they found an excess number of molecules that promote inflammation and a lack of molecules that help resolve it.

Ganesh Haladeassociate professor at USF Health Heart Institutesaid our bodies are designed to resolve inflammation via very small molecules derived from healthy fats, like lawyers.

“If the molecules come from processed food products, they directly unbalance the immune system and cause chronic inflammation,” added Halade, a member of the Cancer Biology Program at TGH Cancer Institute.

The USF team claims that Western dietwith its added sugars, saturated fats, UPFs, chemicals and seed oils, fuels chronic inflammation. Seed oils have earned a bad reputation online, however some experts say they are not actually toxic or unhealthy.

Yeatman told the Post that a moderate amount of soybean, cottonseed, sunflower and canola oils are “probably OK,” but these seed oils are “probably inflammatory” when consumed in excess.

“Soybean oil is found in an incredible number of foods today, such as bread, cereal, donuts, pies, cakes, cookies, salad dressings, mayonnaise and even hummus,” he said. Yeatman said.

To reverse inflammation, Yeatman suggests eating healthy, unprocessed foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and derivatives of fish oil — an approach called resolution medicine.

“The body is resilient,” Yeatman said. “If diets are truly modified to avoid inflammatory oils (and) high sugar levels (which can cause inflammation), results could occur within months.”

Healthy, unprocessed foods include crab, salmonhalibut, spinachBrussels sprouts, seaweed, seaweed and grass-fed, pasture-raised meats.

Many fish contain omega-3s, which have antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties that may inhibit the growth of cancer cells by regulating inflammation.

Yeatman suggests that “second generation” omega-3 fatty acid supplements may also aid healing. These supplements are believed to be more easily absorbed by the body than standard fish oil. Good sleep and exercise would also be part of the plan.

“This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, going beyond drugs to harness natural healing processes,” Yeatman said. “This is an essential step in combating chronic inflammation and preventing disease before it starts.”

Initial trials are underway at the TGH Cancer Institute to evaluate the effectiveness of specialized fish oil derivatives on inflammation.

The USF team’s findings were published Tuesday in Gut, an international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology. Researchers were rewarded a grant of $3.1 million over five years of the National Institutes of Health to better understand colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Rates have increased in adults under 50 years old.

Next, the USF team will try to understand why the vast majority of colorectal tumors are inflamed and why some tumors have higher levels of inflammation than others.