The Medical Advisor

Abstract Over the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, consumption of linoleic acid (LA), acrylamide (formed in high-temperature cooking), and processed carbohydrates such as maltodextrin has increased dramatically. These dietary exposures coincide temporally with rising cancer incidence. Preclinical evidence suggests that LA promotes oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammatory signaling, while acrylamide is genotoxic and carcinogenic in animal models. Maltodextrin, a highly processed polysaccharide, can exacerbate insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, and chronic inflammation. Interactions among these dietary factors may amplify pro-tumorigenic metabolic pathways. However, human epidemiological evidence for LA, acrylamide, and maltodextrin is inconsistent, with large cohort studies often showing neutral or modestly protective effects for LA, and limited but concerning signals for acrylamide. This review synthesizes mechanistic and epidemiologi...