A new report in the December Cell Metabolism identifies a protein without which diets high in saturated fat lead to a massive inflammatory response that can prove fatal. The studies in mice suggest that deficiencies in this protective pathway could promote inflammation in those who regularly consume high levels of saturated fat.
"In mice without this protein that ate a lot of saturated fat, the lymph nodes blew up to extreme levels," said Sander Kersten of the Nutrigenomics Consortium and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. "I'd never seen anything like it before."
Kersten said that a connection between saturated fat, inflammation, and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, has long been recognized. But it really hadn't been clear why saturated fats can cause harm.
continued at MedicalNewsToday.com>>
"In mice without this protein that ate a lot of saturated fat, the lymph nodes blew up to extreme levels," said Sander Kersten of the Nutrigenomics Consortium and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. "I'd never seen anything like it before."
Kersten said that a connection between saturated fat, inflammation, and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, has long been recognized. But it really hadn't been clear why saturated fats can cause harm.
continued at MedicalNewsToday.com>>
