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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Jun 01, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A growing number of disease influences on the human body by fat are being seen by researchers at Wake Forest University and the University of Maryland.
"Fat may be controlling a lot of things," said Barbara Nicklas, a senior researcher at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
This spring, Nicklas and a team of researchers described how abdominal fat actually makes inflammatory proteins that increase the risk for heart disease, the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer said Wednesday.
The work adds to a growing body of evidence that fat is a highly complex substance that works like an organ. It secretes hormones into the blood, regulates metabolism and even influences the immune system.
Two proteins, adiponectin and resistin, have also been found to regulate insulin sensitivity, providing a direct link between fat and the development of type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form of the disease.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
