Study finds short-term inflammation after every meal is actually good | Health - Hindustan Times
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Study finds short-term inflammation after every meal is actually good

London | ByIANS
Jan 23, 2017 01:12 PM IST

Inflammation after every meal may not such a bad thing after all. As per a new study, every time we eat food, it triggers inflammatory response which acts as a protective mechanism.

Every time we eat food, it may trigger an inflammatory response that acts as a protective mechanism to fight the bacteria consumed along with the food, a study has found.

Short-term inflammatory responses help activate immune system, finds a study.(Shutterstock)
Short-term inflammatory responses help activate immune system, finds a study.(Shutterstock)

The findings showed that this inflammatory response, which acts as a protective mechanism, fails in overweight individuals leading to diabetes.

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On the other hand, in healthy individuals, short-term inflammatory responses play an important role in sugar uptake and the activation of the immune system.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland, showed that depending on the concentration of glucose in the blood, the number of macrophages -- a type of immune cell or “scavenger cells” -- around the intestines increases during meal times and produces the messenger substance Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta).

This stimulates insulin production in pancreatic beta cells and prompts the macrophages to increase IL-1beta production.

Inflammatory response after food helps act as a protective mechanism. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)
Inflammatory response after food helps act as a protective mechanism. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

Insulin and IL-1beta work together to regulate blood sugar levels while IL-1beta ensures that the immune system is supplied with glucose and thus remains active.

This mechanism of the metabolism and immune system is dependent on the bacteria and nutrients that are ingested during meals, the researchers said.

With sufficient nutrients, the immune system is able to adequately combat foreign bacteria, said Erez Dror from the university.

Conversely, when there is a lack of nutrients, the few remaining calories must be conserved for important life functions at the expense of an immune response, Dror added.

The study was published in the journal Nature Immunology.

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