Originally published September 30 2005
Defective lymphatic vessels increase obesity risk
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Research has shown that lymph fluid from leaking lymphatic vessels encourages fat to accumulate in the body, contributing significantly to adult onset obesity.
The St. Jude investigators showed that removal of one of the two copies of the gene Prox1 disrupts normal development of the lymphatic vasculature, leading to leakage of lymph from ruptured lymphatic vessels, and subsequent obesity.
Specifically, the researchers found that adipocytes (fat cells) near leaking lymphatic vessels under the skin and in the abdomen were significantly larger than normal, and therefore able to store more lipids (e.g., fatty acids and triglycerides, used as an energy source).
"This is the first such evidence in an in vivo model showing that defects in the integrity of the lymphatic vasculature could lead to adult obesity," said Guillermo Oliver, Ph.D., an associate member of the Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology Department at St. Jude.
"And therefore, this is the first model available for studying obesity linked to faulty lymphatic vessels.
Oliver is senior author of a report on this work that appears in the September 18 online issue of Nature Genetics.
The laboratory model (Prox1+/-) lacked one of two copies of the Prox1 gene, which is required for proper development of the lymphatic system.
"Interestingly, those that survived did not develop diabetes, as commonly seen in different types of obesity," he added.
"This told us that the type of obesity we were seeing in this laboratory model was different from forms of obesity that are commonly associated with diabetes."
"Our findings might encourage physicians to consider that at least some of their obese patients might be suffering from a problem that can't be solved by eating less and exercising more," Oliver said.
Just as many vascular disorders arise because of blood vessel defects, other defects of the closely related lymphatic vessels in addition to edema could also occur in humans, he added.
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