News Life Inflaming dangers of a fat-laden meal Immune cells, adipose tissue conspire in obese people to boost levels of potentially unhealthy proteins Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Tina Hesman Saey February 24, 2010 at 6:34 pm REACTING TO FAT Being overweight may make immune cells called macrophages (shown in red) embedded in fat tissue more sensitive to high-fat diets. When the macrophages encounter lots of dietary fat or the high levels of fatty acids associated with obesity, the cells release PAI-1 and inflammatory proteins, a new study shows. PAI-1 (shown in green) has been linked to heart disease and inflammatory proteins are implicated in diabetes. Blue spots indicate cell nuclei. Image courtesy of Science/AAAS CTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”> In the heavyweight division, immune cells embedded in fat pack some extra disease-causing punches, a new study shows. More Stories from Science News on Life Oceans In a seafloor surprise, metal-rich chunks may generate deep-sea oxygen By Sid Perkins11 hours ago Oceans Can bioluminescent ‘milky seas’ be predicted? By Bas den HondJuly 18, 2024 Neuroscience Psilocybin temporarily dissolves brain networks By Laura SandersJuly 17, 2024 Health & Medicine Bird flu has been invading the brains of mammals. Here’s why By Erin Garcia de JesúsJuly 11, 2024 Genetics Freeze-drying turned a woolly mammoth’s DNA into 3-D ‘chromoglass’ By Tina Hesman SaeyJuly 11, 2024 Health & Medicine Breastfeeding should take a toll on bones. A brain hormone may protect them By Claire YuanJuly 10, 2024 Animals Tiny saunas help frogs fight off chytrid fungus By Skyler WareJuly 9, 2024 Health & Medicine Bird flu viruses may infect mammary glands more commonly than thought By Erin Garcia de JesúsJuly 8, 2024