A December 2022 study by Sinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, said

  • “Dietary Trans-fatty acid (TFA), saturated fatty acid (SFA), and cholesterol are present in a variety of food sources. For instance, cholesterol is abundant in animal-derived foods like eggs, cheese, shellfish, meats, sardines, and full-fat yogurt. Whereas SFA is primarily found in animal and plant products such as red meat, dairy items, palm oil, and coconut oil, TFA naturally occurs in dairy products and animal meat in relatively smaller amounts. Certain products, such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, contain relatively larger amounts of TFA.”

  • “Long-term feeding of SFA and TFA diets to HCVcpTg mice increased the expressions of vascular endothelial cell indicators like CD31 and TEK receptor tyrosine kinase, in addition to lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1. We also detected elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor C and fibroblast growth factor receptors 2 and 3, as well as c-Jun N-terminal kinase and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in the mice livers.” 

  • “We demonstrated for the first time that hepatic angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis were enhanced by saturated-fat- or trans-fat-rich diets, but not cholesterol-rich diets, mainly through the JNK-HIF1α-VEGF-C axis. These processes are crucial targets for treating hepatocellular carcinoma.”

  • “Agents inhibiting hepatic angiogenesis are widely used for treating hepatocellular carcinoma. However, I also recommend avoiding fatty-acid-rich diets especially if someone is at a high risk of developing liver cancer or undergoing treatment for liver cancer.”