A recent study shows that not all fat in the human body is harmful, as some excess weight around the abdominal area may play an important role in supporting the immune system and fighting infections and inflammation
Traditionally, fat that accumulates around the abdomen and internal organs, known as visceral fat, is viewed as a health risk factor, due to its association with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer.
But researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have found that belly fat is not a single homogeneous mass, but rather consists of multiple types, some of which may have unexpected health benefits.
Jiao Zhong, the lead author of the study, explained that fat tissue does not only store energy, but also acts as an active organ that sends signals affecting various bodily functions, noting that the belief that all abdominal fat is the same is a common misconception.
In the study, researchers analyzed samples of five different types of abdominal fat in eight obese individuals, including subcutaneous fat, fat surrounding the stomach, and fat near the intestines.
The results revealed striking differences between these types, particularly what is known as the iliac fat tissue extending along the colon, which contains large numbers of inflammatory fat cells and immune cells.
Laboratory experiments have shown that signals from bacteria can stimulate these fat cells to produce proteins that activate immune cells within tissues, helping to fight infection.
The researchers pointed out that fatty tissue near the intestines may have a special function, perhaps representing an adaptation to the gut microbiome, the microbial community that lives inside the digestive system.
Although the study focused on people with obesity, the researchers stressed that the applicability of these results to people of normal weight is still under investigation.
In this context, Jutta Galkanen, the study's first co-author, said that the next phase will be to study the role of fatty tissue surrounding the colon in inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, to understand whether it contributes to amplifying or perpetuating inflammation through its interaction with immune cells.
The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
