Research

Hormonal

Regulatory T (Treg) cells exert an attenuating effect on insulin resistance and hepatic inflammation in NAFLD and obesity, primarily through the secretion of inhibitory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-beta and PPAR-gamma-dependent functionality.

In obesity and NAFLD, the body's natural regulatory T cells (Tregs) are often depleted or dysfunctional, contributing to insulin resistance and liver damage. Restoring Treg function (e.g., via PPAR-gamma agonists like pioglitazone in clinical settings) can improve glucose tolerance and reduce liver inflammation. Lifestyle interventions that reduce adipose tissue inflammation may help preserve Treg numbers.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Th2, Th22, and Treg cells seem to decrease insulin resistance... Concerning NAFLD, both Th22 and Treg cells appear to have an overall tempering effect... Treg cells exert this function by the production of the inhibitory cytokines IL-10 and TGFbeta... Treg functionality in VAT is PPARgamma dependent
Mikhaïl A. Van Herck et al. · Frontiers in Immunology · 2019

Why this rating

Supported by multiple animal gain-of-function/loss-of-function studies and human observational data showing correlation with insulin resistance, though human interventional data is limited.

Source

The Differential Roles of T Cells in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Obesity

Mikhaïl A. Van Herck et al. · Frontiers in Immunology · 2019

DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00082

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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