Obesity can cause inflammation of the immune system cells, and this can lead to various metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, warn US scientists in the journal Nature Immunology.
The finding shows that the immune system can contribute directly to the development of various metabolic diseases, and suggests that treating inflammation could prove to be an effective way to prevent these diseases.
In the cells of the immune system, a molecular complex of proteins functions, which in response to various harmful factors such as bacteria, viruses, allergens and many others initiate an inflammatory response to defend the body against danger.
Jenny Ting and a team from the University of North Carolina have shown that palmitate, a fatty acid abundant in a typical high-fat Western diet, activates this molecular complex in cells and triggers inflammation. In addition, palmitate also reduces the sensitivity of liver cells to insulin – the main cause of type 2 diabetes (PAP).