Fat, in Moderation, Helps Immune System-Scientists

January 20, 2004

Hopefully everyone in this group is educated about fats.

We have files in our files section and links to sites about fats.

They play a major part in one's health.

Read Udo Erasmus' book,Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill.

Frank

Fat, in Moderation, Helps Immune System-Scientists

January 20, 2004 02:56:41 PM PST , Reuters

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.

Recommended Posts