How a high fat diet allows expulsion of intestinal parasite worms

Medical Xpress / Lancaster University / Mucosal Immunology ^ | Feb. 6, 2023 | Evelyn Funjika et al

[ConservativeMind]

Scientists have discovered that a high-fat diet allows the immune system to eliminate a parasitic worm which is a major cause of death and illness.

Parasitic worms affect up to a billion people, particularly in developing nations with poor sanitation. One of these parasites known as "whipworm" can cause long lasting infections in the large intestine.

Researchers have discovered that a high-fat diet allows the immune system to eliminate the parasite.

Dr. Evelyn Funjika said, "The cheapest diets are often high in fat and at-risk communities to whipworm are increasingly utilizing these cheap diets.

It has been previously shown that immune responses which expel the parasite rely on white blood cells called T-helper 2 cells, specialized for eliminating gastrointestinal parasites.

The findings demonstrate how a high-fat diet, rather than obesity itself, increases a molecule on T-helper cells called ST2 and this allows an increased T-helper 2 response which expels the parasite from the large intestinal lining.

"We were quite surprised by what we found during this study. High-fat diets are mostly associated with increased pathology during disease. However, in the case of whipworm infection this high fat diet licenses the T-helper cells to make the correct immune response to expel the worm."

Professor Richard Grencis said, "Our studies in mice on a standard diet demonstrate that ST2 is not normally triggered when expelling the parasite, but the high-fat diet boosts the levels of ST2 and hence allows expulsion via an alternative pathway."

Professor David Thornton added, "It was really fascinating that simply altering the diet completely switched the immune response in the gut from one that fails to expel the parasite, to one that brings about all the correct mechanisms to eliminate it."

[SisterK]

you have to wonder if cancer actually is a critter

that's a fact

[Redcitizen]

Taking a slice.

[NorthMountain]

I took it when I have WuFlu in 2021. I didn’t notice that.

You didn't have worms, you had the Wuhanic Plague. It's not the ivermectin that stinks, it's the dead worms.

[Redcitizen]

Good excuse for more frybread.

[MayflowerMadam]

“It’s not the ivermectin that stinks, it’s the dead worms.”

That makes sense. Gross.

[rodguy911]

Sounds like the worm needs to meet ivermectin.

[mad_as_he$$]

I’ll take Ivermectin, thank you!