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A TEAM OF scientists at Trinity College Dublin have made a major discovery about why obese people’s immune systems often struggle to fight cancer.
The research, published in the international journal Nature Immunology, sheds light on what until now had been the little-known impact of obesity on immune surveillance.
Over 1.9 billion adults are overweight and obese across the globe, creating health and economic burdens because of knock-on health impacts including type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
As well as this, up to 50% of certain cancers are attributed to obesity.
However, new research led by Associate Professor in Immunology at Trinity College, Lydia Lynch reveals why the body’s immune surveillance systems – led by cancer-fighting ‘natural killer’ cells – stutter and fail in the presence of excess fat.
Working with ‘natural killer’ cells from humans and mice the scientists found that the molecular machinery of these cells get clogged-up by excess fat in obese individuals.
‘Increased urgency’
And while this clogging-up process did not prevent natural killer cells from recognising tumour cells, it was found to prevent the cells from killing tumours.
The research also pinpointed the specific metabolic step that was stifled in the fat-clogged natural killer cells.
That finding offered hope for the development of treatments further down the line, with the scientists able to re-programme these cells and restore their cancer-fighting abilities by providing them with a metabolic jolt.
Commenting on the research, Professor Lynch said that despite increased public awareness aboutobesity and related diseases, they continued to be prevalent.
“There is increased urgency to understand the pathways whereby obesity cause cancer and leads to other diseases, and to develop new strategies to prevent their progression,” she said.
“Our results highlight immuno-metabolic pathways as a promising target to reverse immune defects in obesity, and suggest that metabolic reprogramming of ‘natural killer’ cells may kick-start their anti-cancer activity and improve treatment outcomes.”
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I sent that photo to you in confidence, TheJournal.ie.
@Tweety McTweeter: Hahahahahahh love that.
Terrific work! Lose a few pounds guys if you’re carrying excess. Simple.
I wish these scientists would stop fat shaming. Its so non PC and I am triggered…..now where is my Ben & Jerrys icecream. .
“up to 50% of CERTAIN cancers” fake news
3.4 of 5 agreed with the question asked
@Crpytoalchol: If it was ’100% of ALL cancers’ then it would be fake news. What do you find fake about the statistic given or is it that the list of cancers that obesity affects wasn’t given?
@Crpytoalchol: smoking causes cancer, would you also consider that to be fake news ?. You sound as sad a trump with that comment. If it was stated to be 100 percent would that convince you that it was true ?.
@Diarmuid Hunt: I think they were pointing out that to the human brain it reads like “50% of cancers” like half of cancers. But really “50% of certain cancers” means it could be half of a certain cancer which accounts for, say 4% of all cancer. Quite a different meaning potentially
I blame the parents.
@Pounamustone: Blame me all you want but my 13 year old was the epitome of health, vegetarian, no processed foods and a serious athlete and she still got cancer. Sometimes it’s just bad luck
@Emma Fitzpatrick:
I don’t think he meant all the parents just the obese children’s ones
@Emma Fitzpatrick: best of luck love and good health to your daughter and the rest of your family.
People are inherently irrational – studies like this are fantastic for shedding light on these topics and the research will be definitely needed because there simply isn’t a way of preventing people from eating themselves into an early grave it would seem :(
@Dara O’Brien: food is as addictive as heroine and nicotine to certain sectors of the population. Sugar is a serious culprit.They may want to change but just can’t. Not enough media attention on food addiction.
@saoirse janneau: my favourite heroine is Joan of Arc. Can’t get enough of her.
@saoirse janneau: agreed. Not enough attention full stop. Unless a person is in that situation with food, you would never understand. People dont realise it.
Have we not known this for years ? If your waist to hip measurement is skewed, you are in for a visit from cancer at some stage.
Pity Journal don’t post an actual link to the scientific journal that way we could actually assess the relevance of the study for ourselves instead of blindly believing a media version of it #lazyjournalism
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