Dieting and Fasting Linked To Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism

New research published in the journal Nature Medicine reveals that a compound created by the body when dieting or fasting could actually block part of the immune system that's involved in several inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes.

"These findings are important because endogenous metabolites like BHB that block the NLRP3 inflammasome could be relevant against many inflammatory diseases, including those where there are mutations in the NLRP3 genes," said Vishwa Deep Dixit, professor in the Section of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, in a news release.

Researchers found that the compound β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) works to directly inhibit NLRP3, otherwise composed of a complex set of proteins known as inflammasome. It drives the inflammatory response in many autoinflammatory disorders that can be tricky to treat.

The metabolite BHB can be produced in response to other things besides fasting alone, including high-intensity exercise and consumption of low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. However, previous studies have made it relatively unclear how immune cells adapt to a reduced availability of glucose.

Working with mice and human immune cells, Dixit and colleagues focused on how macrophages -- specialized immune cells that produce inflammation -- respond when exposed to ketone bodies and whether that impacts the inflammasone complex.

"Our results suggest that the endogenous metabolites like BHB that are produced during low-carb dieting, fasting, or high-intensity exercise can lower the NLRP3 inflammasome," concluded Dixit.

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