Fat, in moderation, helps immune system

Based on studies of pigs, researchers said on Tuesday that fat helps fend off illness. Besides keeping a body warmer, fat cells, or adipocytes, produce hormone-like proteins in reaction to invading toxins, behaving much like immune cells that fight disease. “Adipocytes can be functional and beneficial without creating obesity,” said Michael Spurlock, an animal sciences professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Writing in the American Journal of Physiology, Spurlock and colleagues from the university’s veterinary school said fat cells play a role in helping insulin regulate blood sugar levels and can aid the immune system’s response to cancerous cells. However, too much fat in pigs — and presumably their relatively close cousins, humans — upsets the body’s hormonal balance. As fat cells accumulate an excess of fatty acids, called lipids, they secrete too much of some biochemicals and too little of others, creating abnormalities that can lead to diseases such as diabetes. Foreseeing an advancement in the fight against diabetes, cancer and other illnesses, Spurlock said the goal is to find the biochemical triggers for fat cells, immune cells, and the body’s metabolism so they can be manipulated. —Reuters

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