Elevated blood fat levels in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are more harmful than previously thought, new study finds. Reported by MedicalXpress.

In patients with metabolic disease, elevated blood fat levels create stress in muscle cells—a response to changes outside the cell that damage their structure and function.. Researchers at the University of Leeds have found that these tense cells emit a signal that can be passed on to other cells..

These signals, known as ceramides, may have a protective benefit in the short term as they are part of a mechanism designed to reduce stress in the cell.. But in metabolic diseases, which are long-term conditions, the signals can kill cells, make symptoms more severe, and make the disease worse..

Elevated blood fat has long been known to damage tissues and organs, contributing to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.. This condition may be caused by obesity, which has nearly tripled worldwide since 1975.. In 2016, there were more than 650 million obese adults aged 18 and over.

Supervisor Lee Roberts, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Metabolism at the University of Leeds Medical School, said: “Although this research is at an early stage, our discovery could form the basis of new treatments or therapeutic approaches to prevent the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as.

In the lab, the team replicated the blood fat levels seen in people with metabolic diseases by exposing skeletal muscle cells to a fatty acid called palmitate.. Cells began to transmit a ceramide signal. When these cells were mixed with others that had not previously been exposed to fats, the researchers found that they communicate with each other by transporting a signal in packets called extracellular vesicles..

The experiment was replicated on human volunteers with metabolic diseases and gave comparable results.. The findings provide an entirely new insight into how cells respond to stress, with important implications for our understanding of several metabolic diseases, including obesity..

Professor Roberts said: “This study gives us new insights into how stress develops in the cells of obese people and provides new avenues to consider when developing new therapies for metabolic disease.”.

medical-heal. en.