Diet, lipids and colon cancer.

Dietary fat is digested and absorbed in the small intestine and can then be utilized as an energy source and/or as a reservoir for other bioactive lipid species. Excessive dietary fat has been implicated in the induction and/or aggravation of several diseases, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Diets with high fat content have been shown to exacerbate CRC through regulation of intestinal inflammation and proliferation, as well as alteration of bile acid pools, microbiota, and bioactive lipid species. This chapter will investigate the effects of dietary fat on CRC development and pathobiology, and possible mechanisms for specific lipid species in those processes.