BELLY FAT MAY BOOST
IMMUNITY!
A particular kind of stomach fat previously thought to serve
little purpose, may in fact play an important role in regulating the immune
system, researchers say.
Scientists believe that the new finding could lead to new
drugs being developed for organ transplant patients with auto-immune diseases
such as lupus and Crohn’s disease.
The stomach fat identified by the researchers at Loyola University Chicago is the omentum,
a sheet of fatty tissue attached to the stomach that hangs down in front of the
intestines providing a protective cushion.
The omentom is one of the main fat –storage depots in the
body and thickens as fat accumulates there, expanding the skin depending on how
much fat is being carried.
“It is shaped like an apron and can stretch like pizza
dough,” Makio Iwashima, one of the scientists behind the discovery, said.
“Although its physiological function is not understood,
doctors have known for many years that attaching omentum to damaged organs heped
the tissue to heal – a procedure Known as ‘Omentun transposition,” he said.
DC 27 June 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment