Eating a Western diet impairs the gut immune system in ways that could increase the risk of infection and inflammatory bowel disease, new research in mice and humans indicates.
The study shows that a diet high in sugar and fat causes damage to Paneth cells, immune cells in the gut that help keep inflammation in check.
When Paneth cells aren’t functioning properly, the gut immune system is excessively prone to inflammation, putting people at risk of inflammatory bowel disease and undermining effective control of disease-causing microbes.
The findings, published in
Cell Host & Microbe, open up new approaches to regulating gut immunity by restoring normal Paneth cell function.
Western diet may increase risk of gut inflammation, infection miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.