We all know that eating a lot of fatty, processed food isn’t great for our health. But what exactly goes wrong inside the body?
New research from MIT shows that a high-fat diet doesn’t just lead to weight gain. It also can cause your cells to become stressed and stop working properly. These changes can raise the risk of problems like prediabetes and other chronic health conditions.
The study, published in Molecular Cell, looked at mice who were fed a high-fat diet. The researchers found signs of damage in the way cells handle energy, especially when it comes to sugar and fat. The cells started producing too many harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, which can lead to inflammation and disease when not kept in check.
The study found that a high-fat diet led to stress inside cells, making it harder for them to stay in balance. Over time, this can push the body toward unhealthy conditions linked to chronic disease.
The effects were more severe in male mice than females. Female mice seemed better able to adjust by switching on helpful pathways that process fat more efficiently.
There’s also some good news: the researchers gave another group of mice an antioxidant (called BHA) along with their high-fat diet. These mice gained less weight and didn’t show signs of prediabetes. Their cells were healthier, with fewer signs of stress.
“They’re experiencing a lot of metabolic dysfunction, but if you co-administer something that counters that, then they have enough reserve to maintain some sort of normalcy,” said lead author Tigist Tamir.
The antioxidant didn’t completely undo the damage, but it helped the body cope better. The research team hopes this could point to ways to prevent or manage weight-related health issues in the future.
This research was supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the Ludwig Center at MIT and the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine.