Research

Hormonal

Obesity-associated inflammation is driven by tissue-resident and recruited immune cells (specifically Th1, Th17, CD8+, and gamma-delta T cells) in adipose tissue, liver, and gut, creating a feed-forward loop of metabolic decline and comorbidities.

Obesity is not just about calories; it triggers a chronic inflammatory state in fat, liver, and gut tissues. This inflammation is driven by specific immune cells (like T cells) that release inflammatory signals, worsening insulin resistance and metabolic health. Managing obesity requires addressing this inflammatory component, not just weight loss.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Tissue-associated immune cells, especially T cell subpopulations, have become a hotspot of inquiry based on their contributions to obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and certain types of cancers... constitute a complicated network that drives the phenotypic alterations of immune cells and perpetuates a feed-forward loop of metabolic decline.
Rui Liu et al. · Frontiers in Immunology · 2019

Why this rating

The paper is a review citing numerous human and murine studies, providing strong mechanistic evidence, though it notes inconsistencies in human data for some subsets.

Source

Tissue Immune Cells Fuel Obesity-Associated Inflammation in Adipose Tissue and Beyond

Rui Liu et al. · Frontiers in Immunology · 2019

DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01587

narrative_reviewCited 295×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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