High-Protein Diet May Raise Risk of Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: Study

A new study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that a high-protein diet, particularly one rich in the amino acid tryptophan (Trp), may increase the risk of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism. The findings, based on experimental models, were published in the journal Blood Advances and could have important implications for nutritional strategies in cancer care.

Cancer patients are four to seven times more likely to develop venous thromboembolism, which is fatal in approximately one out of every seven affected individuals. In this study, researchers explored how a diet high in protein or tryptophan influenced thrombosis in experimental models with colon cancer.

The team discovered that models fed a high-protein or tryptophan-rich diet developed more severe vascular thrombosis than those on a balanced diet. Inhibiting the enzyme responsible for tryptophan metabolism reduced vascular injury, and the metabolite kynurenine—produced during tryptophan breakdown—was found to impact coagulation factors that promote clot formation.