A High Fat Diet Accelerates Atherosclerosis Less Directly than One Might Suspect

High blood cholesterol accelerates the onset of atherosclerosis, making it easier to reach the tipping point at which localized excesses of cholesterol form in blood vessel walls. The majority of cholesterol is generated in the liver, not obtained from the diet - and yet high fat diets are well proven to accelerate atherosclerosis. Researchers here provide evidence for the mechanism to be less direct than might be expected, involving the gut microbiome and its relationship with tissues and the immune system. Certain components of dietary fat lead to a cascade of events that provoke an inflammatory response, and the more fat, the greater the chronic inflammation. Anything that induces a lasting state of unresolved inflammatory signaling will accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. This is again a matter of shifting the tipping point at which the innate immune cells called macrophages, responsible for clearing excess cholesterol from blood vessel walls, become overwhelmed by circumstances. Inflammatory signaling shifts macrophages into a state more appropriate for defense against pathogens than for clearing up metabolic debris. Fewer macrophages clearing cholesterol means a greater deposition of cholesterol. High-fat diet 'turns up the thermostat' on atherosclerosis Obesity and a high-cholesterol, high-fat diet are both well-established risk factors for atherosclerosis. In fact, obese individuals are two and a half times more likely to develop hear...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs