Overeating and starving both damage the liver: Cavefish provide new insight into fatty liver disease
Fatty liver, which can lead to liver damage and disease, can occur from both overeating and starvation. Now, new research shows how naturally starvation-resistant cavefish, unlike other animals, are able to protect their liver and remain healthy. The findings have implications for understanding and potentially addressing liver conditions in humans. Researchers from the Stowers Institute […]
Fatty food before surgery may impair memory in old, young adults
Eating fatty food in the days leading up to surgery may prompt a heightened inflammatory response in the brain that interferes for weeks with memory-related cognitive function in older adults — and, new research in animals suggests, even in young adults. The study, building upon previous research from the same lab at The Ohio State […]
Nutrient found in beef and dairy improves immune response to cancer
Trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), a long-chain fatty acid found in meat and dairy products from grazing animals such as cows and sheep, improves the ability of CD8+ T cells to infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago. The research, published this week in Nature, also […]
Researchers uncover mechanism for treating dangerous liver condition
A study spearheaded by Oregon State University has shown why certain polyunsaturated fatty acids work to combat a dangerous liver condition, opening a new avenue of drug research for a disease that currently has no FDA-approved medications. Scientists led by Oregon State’s Natalia Shulzhenko, Andrey Morgun and Donald Jump used a technique known as multi-omic […]
Cancer Risk in NAFLD Higher With Early Disease Onset
The risk for cancer in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was highest among those with early-onset disease and declined at later ages of diagnosis, a matched cohort study found. Examining more than 60,000 participants from a prospective Chinese dataset revealed that the increased risk of malignancy with NAFLD was highest among patients diagnosed […]
Preterm babies given certain fatty acids have better vision
Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, covers 178 extremely preterm babies at the […]
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Also Help Lung Health
Omega-3 fatty acids may play a protective role in long-term lung health, according to longitudinal and Mendelian randomization analyses. Higher plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acid were associated with attenuated lung function decline in 15,063 patients with repeated measures of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), reported Patricia […]
Omega-3 fatty acids appear promising for maintaining lung health
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish and fish oil supplements, appear promising for maintaining lung health, according to new evidence from a large, multi-faceted study in healthy adults supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study provides the strongest evidence to date of this association and underscores the importance of including omega-3 […]
NAFLD and T2DM Bodes Higher Risk of Liver Decompensation, Cancer
Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes may be at significantly higher risk of hepatic decompensation and liver cancer, researchers reported. In a meta-analysis of six studies that included 1,737 patients with NAFLD followed for approximately 3 years, those with diabetes had twice the risk for developing hepatic decompensation (HR 2.15, […]
Cells refine palm fat into olive oil: Study provides the first precise insight into important remodeling processes in adipose tissue
Fat molecules serve as energy storage for fat cells. They consist of three fatty acids attached to a backbone of glycerol. They are therefore also called triglycerides. It has long been suspected that molecules do not remain unchanged during their storage period. Instead, they are regularly broken down and reassembled — a process called “triglyceride […]