Sick fat in obese people may lead to diabetes
In the first study of its kind, the researchers in the Temple University have found out the differences between the fat tissue of obese and lean people. It leads to the reason to explain why obese people are more at risk of developing diseases like diabetes.
The team of the researchers led by Dr. Guenther Boden, found that fat cells in obese people are stressed and often inflamed. They are able to produce chemicals that interfere with the body’s ability to use insulin. The team of researchers have taken fat cells from from the upper thighs of six lean and six obese patients and found significant differences at the cellular level.They have found Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in every cell. They believe that the (ER) helps synthesize proteins and monitor how they’re folded.
The stress that Boden describes causes the ER in fat cells to produce several proteins that ultimately lead to insulin resistance, which has been found to play a major role in the development and progression of obesity-related conditions.
Boden believes the fat cells let excess food energy spill over to other parts of the body. As well, calories spill through the blood to muscle cells, causing muscles to develop insulin resistance, the beginning of diabetes. “They (calories) go into the liver. You’re going to have a fatty liver, and . . . it may end up as cirrhosis or a cancerous liver,” Boden says.
The study also suggests that reducing weight can help reduce stress on the ER, which can lower the risk of insulin resistance and the resulting conditions.
Source: Science Daily
