Dairy Byproduct to Be Tested as Colorectal Cancer Fighter

Georgia researchers are preparing for an initial human trial aimed at determining whether fats called sphingolipids, found in milk and milk products, may be helpful in fighting colorectal cancer.

Al Merrill, a Georgia Tech cell biologist, reported that when he fed the fats to mice that had been injected with a chemical known to cause colon cancer, the fats kept the tumors from forming.

And, reported Merrill, when he tested the sphingolipids on other mice with a genetic mutation known to cause colon cancer in humans, the sphingolipids made abnormal cells return to normal.

Currently, Merrill is working with researchers to put sphingolipids from whey into muffins that can be given people with polyps that frequently are a precursors to colorectal cancer.

Half of the participants in the trial would get muffins with sphnigolipids, while the other half would get a regular muffin.

"If it's as successful in humans as it is in mice, it would provide people with a way to change the early progression of cancer by modifying their diet," Merrill said.

Other sources: Atlanta Journal and Constitution