Natural Inflammation-Fighting Mechanism Discovered In Body-Fat Cells

Hooray! Now fat is good.

"Reporting in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) said they have shown for the first time that fat-storing cells, or adipocytes, contain a protective anti-inflammatory immune mechanism that prevents the cells from over-reacting to inflammation-causing stimuli, such as fatty acids in the diet.

This signaling pathway serves as a natural counterbalance to a parallel signaling chain that promotes inflammation and can lead to insulin resistance -- a prelude to diabetes -- and other ailments such as heart disease, said the authors. Chih-Hao Lee, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Complex Diseases at HSPH, was the senior author. Kihwa Kang, Research Fellow in the HSPH Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, was first author."

But only if you do not have much.

"In lean people, the dueling pathways maintain a healthy balance -- but only up to a point. 'Overt obesity eventually overwhelms the protective effect of this pathway and flips it into the pro-inflammatory pathway,' said Lee."

It seems as if the "up to a point" is the "point" where you are not lean.

Bottom line: lose weight.