New 'good' fat that fights diabetes found

October, 2014

A new class of lipids produced in human and mouse fat has been discovered, and these ones seem to be good for you. Following the discovery that diabetes-resistant mice had dramatically higher levels of these “fatty acid hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs)”, levels were found to be low in pre-diabetic humans. Moreover, when mice with the equivalent of type 2 diabetes were given this lipid, blood sugar levels dropped and insulin levels rose. FAHFAs also seem to reduce inflammation.

FAHFAS are found in low levels in a wide range of vegetables, fruits and other foods, as well as being (unlike omega-3 fatty acids) produced and broken down inside the body.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/si-sda100814.php

Yore, M. M., Syed, I., Moraes-Vieira, P. M., Zhang, T., Herman, M. A., Homan, E. A., … Kahn, B. B. (2014). Discovery of a Class of Endogenous Mammalian Lipids with Anti-Diabetic and Anti-inflammatory Effects. Cell, 159(2), 318–332. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.035

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