Researchers continue to search for the mechanistic connection between obesity and increased inflammation which all agree occurs in our epidemic of metabolic diseases. UT Southwestern scientist believe they may have uncovered at least one connection. Fibro inflammatory progenitor cells found in the walls of fat tissue blood vessels could link obesity and inflammation.
Countless studies indicate that fat cell inflammation contributes to many comorbidities the we see in overweight individuals. The comorbidities include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and infection. These comorbidities are creating an epidemic of chronic illness for our nation.
When we consume more calories than we need, the excess energy ends up stored in white adipose tissue. As this storage increases, other research showed that the fat cells begin to die from overworking. Then the immune cells turn up and inflammation ensues. The chronic comorbidities follow soon after.
In looking for connections, the scientists found these fibro-inflammatory progenitor cells which produced inflammatory signals. By turning off these cells, the inflammation did not occur despite a high fat diet.
As we search for answers to chronic illness in 2021 and beyond, understanding the connections remains as important as always. The good news should be that we have a solution already, starting with lifestyle changes as advocated in functional medicine on a regular basis. Then we add personalized nutrition plans addressing deficiencies and toxicities. Combining these, we address the root causes of the obesity-inflammation link.
Rather than contributing to chronic illness, our immune system can focus on defending our bodies from infectious threats.
Original Article:
Bo Shan, Mengle Shao, Qianbin Zhang, Chelsea Hepler, Vivian A. Paschoal, Spencer D. Barnes, Lavanya Vishvanath, Yu A. An, Lin Jia, Venkat S. Malladi, Douglas W. Strand, Olga T. Gupta, Joel K. Elmquist, Dayoung Oh, Rana K. Gupta. Perivascular mesenchymal cells control adipose-tissue macrophage accrual in obesity. Nature Metabolism, 2020; 2 (11): 1332 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-020-00301-7
Thanks to Science Daily:
UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Blood vessel cells implicated in chronic inflammation of obesity.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 December 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201231091048.htm>.
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Other connections between Inflammation and Obesity
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Connections between Obesity, Diet, and Inflammation
Lee, Hansongyi et al. “Obesity, inflammation and diet.” Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition vol. 16,3 (2013): 143-52. doi:10.5223/pghn.2013.16.3.143
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Other Links Between Obesity and Inflammation
Ellulu, Mohammed S et al. “Obesity and inflammation: the linking mechanism and the complications.” Archives of medical science : AMS vol. 13,4 (2017): 851-863. doi:10.5114/aoms.2016.58928
3
Chicken or the Egg: Which Comes First?
Obesity and Inflammation: A Vicious Cycle
https://www.endocrineweb.com/obesity-inflammation-cycle
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
