Weight Loss Surgery May Heal "Sick" Fat Cells

Obesity has long been linked to serious health risks, including the development of type 2 diabetes. Weight loss surgery has been proven to help morbidly obese people lose weight and resolve their obesity-related health complications. New research may help explain why weight loss surgery helps to resolve the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Many people assume that obesity related illnesses are caused by an excess of body fat and that removing some of that excess body fat leads to a reduction in symptoms. However, researchers have noted that symptoms are often reduced even after a little bit of weight loss, even if a patient is still technically considered obese. This may occur because the illnesses are triggered by fat cells that are stressed from an excess of calories, rather than an excess of body fat.

Temple University researchers examined samples of fat tissue from lean and obese people and found that there were cellular differences between the two groups. The fat cells in obese people showed signs of stress at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the part of the cell responsible for making proteins. This stress seemed to cause the creation of proteins that are related to insulin resistance, which plays a significant role in the development of type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Researchers believed that the fat cell stress was caused not by an excess of fat cells, but by constantly taking in too many calories. Healthy fat cells are responsible for storing excess energy in the body, but consuming too many calories may basically overwork the fat cells, causing the stressed endoplasmic reticulum and resulting insulin resistance.

When people have weight loss surgery, they immediately begin consuming fewer calories because of a restricted stomach or intestinal bypass. This might reduce the amount of stress on the fat cells in a short amount of time, even before significant weight loss is achieved.