Treating lipodystrophy through diet?

Lipodystrophy is a disease that is largely unknown by the scientific community and “underdiagnosed”. The results of a recent investigation could generate new therapeutic targets to treat it.

Researchers from the ‘Tumor Immunobiology’ group at the University of Jaén (UJA) in Spain have identified a possible gene involved in the different types of lipodystrophy, which, if all goes well, will allow us to address new ways of treating the disease through of the diet.

The results of this research have been published in the academic journal Nutrients.

The professor of Immunology at the UJA and head of this group, José Juan Gaforio, explains that lipodystrophy “is not a single disease; It is a syndrome that can have a congenital or acquired origin. And he points out that it is so complex and rare, with so many possible origins, that it is rarely diagnosed due to ignorance. “This is a dysfunction of the adipose tissue that produces an abnormal redistribution of body fat, causing this fat to disappear from some parts of the body and accumulate in others”, qualifies the UJA researcher, who adds that this has many implications not only aesthetically, but also in health.

The identification of the gene involved in both acquired and congenital lipodystrophy is a scientific finding that makes it possible to demonstrate a link for all types of lipodystrophy, and therefore study treatments to reduce the effects of this disease. “Normally, people who suffer from lipodystrophy are advised to eat a low-fat diet,” stresses the expert, who stresses that, however, this gene can be modulated through the fat we eat in our diet.

José Juan Gaforio in his laboratory. (Photo: UJA)

‘Good’ fats and ‘bad’ fats

Research carried out by the ‘Tumor Immunology’ group at the University of Jaén has shown that there are some fats that worsen the disease, such as saturated fats (present in many foods of animal and vegetable origin) and others that act positive for this gene, and, although they do not cure the disease, they do mitigate its effects, such as Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats (found mainly in fish). These results would open the possibility of treating the disease through diet, as well as designing new therapeutic targets.

In this sense, José Juan Gaforio explains that adipose tissue is an endocrine organ where hormones that are very important for a person’s health are synthesized, such as leptin. “This is the satiety hormone, which tells the hypothalamus that you are already ‘full’ so that you stop eating, so when adipose tissue does not synthesize this hormone in sufficient quantity, these people are terribly hungry. Hence the importance of finding new ways to improve the functioning of adipose tissue”, indicates José Juan Gaforio.

Likewise, the researcher points out that, looking to the future, the UJA research group plans to study the effects of the fats in extra virgin olive oil on this disease. (Source: UJA)