Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A leading doctor has issued a stark warning about the potential dangers of a common cooking ingredient that has been linked to cancer. Experts are concerned that a prevalent fat found in seed oils, known as linoleic acid, may react in a way that causes cancer cells to grow larger and even multiply. Consequently, the everyday oils used by millions of individuals could potentially heighten the risk of breast cancer, according to a group of specialists investigating the matter. Oncologist Professor Justin Stebbing has recommended using these oils sparingly to mitigate any future risks, as reported by Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr John Blenis, the study's senior author and a cancer researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, commented: "We now know linoleic acid feeds cancer cell growth in a very specific way. "This discovery sheds light on how to define which patients might benefit from specific nutritional recommendations." The report states: "[This is] the most abundant unsaturated fat in Western-style diets and is derived from animal products and processed foods containing vegetable oils, such as safflower oil. "Many case-controlled retrospective and prospective studies have been conducted that explore associations between LA intake and breast cancer incidence, but the conclusions are often contradictory. (Image: AFP via Getty Images) "Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary patterns may influence cancer outcomes, and there is substantial clinical interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these associations to better inform nutritional recommendations. "Our findings not only provide a mechanistic explanation for the heterogeneous responses of distinct breast cancer subtypes to dietary fats but also reveal an important perspective on how interactions between it and breast cancer need to be studied. "Future nutritional studies might consider stratifying patients on the basis of FABP5 expression and triple-negative status." Last year, research funded by the US government suggested that commonly used cooking oils could be contributing to a rise in colon cancer among young people, reports the Mirror. The study examined 80 patients with colon cancer and discovered high levels of bioactive lipids, which are produced when seed oils are broken down. Nick Mole, from Pan UK, expressed his concern: "Given the growing body of evidence linking PFAS to serious diseases such as cancer, it is deeply worrying that UK consumers are being left with no choice but to ingest these chemicals, some of which may remain in their bodies long into the future."