Study finds diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice (Good and bad - Use palmitic w/ oleic fatty acids against sepsis)

Medical Xpress / Portland State University / eLife ^ | Nov 7, 2022 | Summer Allen / Amy L Seufert et al

[ConservativeMind]

Eating a diet high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it better able to fight off infection but more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions, including sepsis.

The researchers focused on one particular fat found in the ketogenic diet: palmitic acid, commonly found in animal and dairy products. Remarkably, mice fed a normal diet who were injected with palmitic acid also became more susceptible to sepsis.

Napier and colleagues learned that palmitic acid can trigger trained immunity. The fat acts as a "brief pulse of inflammation" that alters the function of stem cells in bone marrow so that they produce more inflammatory innate immune cells. This means that when the innate immune system encounters a second inflammation stimulus later on, it responds much more strongly. Sometimes, as in the case of sepsis, this response is too strong.

"It's this double-edged sword where if you have exposure to high fat and then exposure to a disease where more inflammation exacerbates the disease, then it's a bad thing," says Napier. "But if you're in the context where you eat high fat and then you get an infection and more inflammation helps you clear infection quicker, it's a good thing."

Napier and colleagues also found that another type of fat may be able to counteract the harmful effects of palmitic acid. Oleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat found in many plant-based oils including olive oil, can block the synthesis of ceramide, a fatty substance that can initiate a stress response in cells and may play a role in the hyperinflammatory response that causes sepsis. When the researchers fed mice a ketogenic diet for two weeks but also gave them oleic acid for the final three days, they no longer showed an increased susceptibility to sepsis.

"It was absolutely shocking," says Napier.

[ConservativeMind]

Interesting study, with one stupid thing from the student intern who did the write up for Portland State University, a girl named “Summer.”

The test was done with a short term keto diet. Palmitic fatty acid is already known for causing a bit of inflammation. It’s strange to find sepsis is blown up so much with it, but do note that even palm oil, which has 44% of its fatty acids from palmitic acid, it also has 39% of its total fat from oleic fatty acids, so it’s “compliant” with the safe approach one appears to need, with palmitic fatty acid use.

What was the stupid thing? She said oleic acid is a polyunsaturated fat. It’s not. It is a monounsaturated fat.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Trumpisourlastchance]

My diet includes lots of meat and lots of olive oil, so this is encouraging to see.

[ClearCase_guy]

Lard.

[ckilmer]

Is it the polyphenols or the oleic fatty acids in olive oil that make it so beneficial. (Do you happen to know the olive oil brands that have the highest concentrations of polyphenols?

[Tom Tetroxide]

Coconut oil is awesome!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Fats...the right sort...are our friends!