Fat culprit – adipokines – key to triggering rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases

Compounds secreted by fat tissue are under the spotlight as new research highlights their destructive role in the development and outcome of several immune-related conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.
“We’ve been aware of a long list of causes of autoimmune disorders — infections, smoking, pesticides, lack of vitamins, and so forth,” explains Prof Yehuda Shoenfeld. “But in the last five years, a new factor has emerged that cannot be ignored: obesity.
“According to the World Health Organization, approximately 35% of the global community is overweight or obese, and more than 10 autoimmune diseases are known to be associated with increased weight. So it’s critical to investigate obesity’s involvement in the pathology of such diseases.”
According to the research, obesity leads to a breakdown of the body’s protective self-tolerance, creating the optimal environment for autoimmune diseases, and generates a pro-inflammatory environment likely to worsen the disease’s progression and hinder its treatment.
The group reviewed 329 studies on the relationship between obesity, adipokines (compounds secreted by fat tissue and involved in the immune response), and immune-related conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
“According to our study and the clinical and experimental data reviewed, the involvement of adipokines in the pathogenesis of these autoimmune diseases is clear,” says Prof Shoenfeld. “We were able to detail the metabolic and immunological activities of the main adipokines featured in the development and prognosis of several immune-related conditions.
“If a patient is at risk, he or she should be told to do everything in his or her power to maintain a healthy weight.”
Vitamin D deficiency
The same research group found that in mice, vitamin D deficiency can be the result of obesity.
“Modern life makes us all prone to vitamin D deficiency,” Prof Shoenfeld says. “We live in labs, offices, and cars. When vitamin D is secreted in fat tissue, it is not released into the body, which needs vitamin D to function properly. Since vitamin D supplements are very cheap and have no side effects, they are an ideal compound that should be prescribed to anyone at risk of a compromised immune system.”

Image credit: Paul Quinn

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