Fatty foods might trigger type 2 diabetes by mimicking the inflammation normally caused by bacteria, viruses and harmful substances such as asbestos.
To investigate the effects of fatty food on the immune system, researchers led by at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, exposed mouse immune cells called macrophages to palmitate, an unsaturated fat found in many processed foods. They found that the palmitate interacted with bundles of proteins inside the macrophages called inflammasomes, releasing a substance called interleukin-1 beta that is known to 鈥渂lind鈥� liver, fat and muscle tissue to insulin. In people, this blindness to insulin ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes.
The team went on to show that mice genetically engineered to have inactive inflammasomes didn鈥檛 develop diabetes-like symptoms, even when fed a high-fat diet.
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鈥淭hese results support the idea that inflammation plays a role in chronic disease,鈥� says Ting. 鈥淭he simple message is to avoid fatty foods as much as possible.鈥�
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