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Written By: Agencies | Published : January 23, 2015 3:37 PM IST
Obesity— Yes, as contradictory as it may sound, a recent study says that obesity can reduce the risk of arthritis in men, but not in women. According to the study published in the journal Rheumatology, men with a high BMI are more likely to have more abdominal or visceral fat that offers protection against arthritis.
Washington ,January 23: Obesity and heart disease share a strong relationship with each other, with the former increasing the risk of the latter one significantly. Now, researchers have come closer to find how this exactly happens at the cellular level. The study is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, suggested that the binding of fatty acid to CD36 receptor on the cells causes internalisation of oxidised bad cholesterol (LDL) into the cell.
Earlier research papers suggest the presence of fatty acid binding site on CD36 and postulating CD36 to be a gatekeeper for fatty acid entry into cells, the Hamilton lab previously found that CD36 did not increase fatty acid translocation across the plasma membrane. In this study, James A. Hamilton, PhD, professor of Physiology, Biophysics and Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine, applied novel methods to detect binding of fatty acids to CD36 and their effect on internalization of oxidized LDL.
The results showed that cells having CD36 in their plasma membrane had enhanced internalisation of oxidised LDL. The internalisation was enhanced by all of the fatty acids, except for the fish oil fatty acid DHA. This current study added to the possible mechanisms for fish oil benefits that are now widely recognized. Read: Beware obesity could give your kid diabetes and heart disease)
Hamilton said that since obesity and type 2 diabetes are characterized by high plasma levels of fatty acids, the demonstrated enhancement of oxLDL uptake by increases in common dietary fatty acids might contribute to the pathophysiology of these diseases. The new results provided a link between fatty acids, CD36, and atherosclerosis and new drugs could be designed that target the exact mechanism more precisely, he further added. . (Read: Obese people always likely to suffer a heart attack)
Source: ANI
Photo source: Getty images
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