The effect of a high fat diet on the incidence of colonic cancer after cholecystectomy in mice

Abstract

An experimental study was designed to evaluate the effects of both a high fat diet and a cholecystectomy on the incidence of carcinogen‐induced colon cancer in mice. Sixty pink‐eyed jax (P/J) mice were divided equally into two groups. One group was fed a standard rodent diet and the other group received a diet supplemented with 20% corn oil. From each diet group, 50% of the mice had a cholecystectomy and the other 50% had a sham operation. Two weeks after surgery, each mouse received weekly subcutaneous injections of a carcinogen (dimethylhydrazine, 20 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. After the treatment period, the mice were killed and their large bowels were examined. Evaluation of the results demonstrated that the mice that had a cholecystectomy and a high fat diet had the highest incidence (P < 0.05) of colonic adenocarcinomas. Copyright © 1988 American Cancer Society