Saturated Fat
Overload causes Cells to Die – Increased risk for Diabetes
January 19th, 2006
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Researchers at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that too much
saturated fat spurs a protein to kill mammalian cells.
The researchers
were able to stop the production of the protein called EF1 A-1 which
thrives with high levels of saturated fat palmitate. When the
production of the protein was stopped, it slowed the cell death. If the
cell was abundant with the palmitate fat, the cells would produce the
EF1 A-1 protein and this caused these cells to die rapidly.
When the cells are
exposed to high fat it causes the cell to become altered. The typical
American diet has an excess of saturated fats and this study reinforces
that too much is bad for the body. It puts a person at a much greater
risk of developing diabetes. Researchers are starting to correlate the
importance of lowering fatty acids and triglycerides as part of the
prevention for diabetes.
"When lipids
(fats) accumulate in tissues other than adipose tissue, cellular
dysfunction or cell death results," said senior author Jean Schaffer,
M.D., an associate professor of medicine, molecular biology and
pharmacology. "For example, preliminary studies on animals suggest that
the accumulation of fat in the pancreas contributes to the development
of diabetes, and accumulation of lipids in skeletal muscle of leads to
insulin resistance."
In a previous
study Schaffer’s laboratory had developed a transgenic mouse that had
accumulated fat in the heart muscles. The fat caused the cells to die
and this led the mouse to develop heart failure and premature death.
The EF1 A-1 protein was almost 3 times higher in the affected animals’
hearts.
When the
researchers removed the EF1 A-1 protein, these cells were protected from
any excess fat causing cell death. It also caused the cells to last
when being attacked by highly reactive oxygen molecules. The
researchers believe that the EF1 A-1 protein more than likely add to the
oxidative stress which is caused from the high lipid levels.
"Cells have a lot
of mechanisms for incorporating fatty acids into storage forms, for
metabolizing them or for using them in cellular membranes," Schaffer
said. "But saturated fats like palmitate are poorly stored in the tiny
fat droplets normally found in most cells and therefore are more likely
to enter into pathways that lead to cell death such as the one in which
EF1A-1 is involved."
The researchers
also discovered other proteins that may cause toxicity with excess fat
in the cells. This has spawned new research projects in understanding
the roles of each of these proteins.
By
Nicole Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer
common keywords and misspellings: dibetes
proteen cel toxic death satuated saturated-fat fatty-acid ecess exessive
satuated-fats |
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