How the fats we eat shape our ability to fight disease

The types of fats we consume directly impacts the survival and strength of the body’s immune cells and ability to fight disease, researchers have found.

A University of Queensland team led an international collaboration that found diet could change the fat composition inside T cells – the immune cells that help protect a person from infections and cancer.

Professor Di Yu of UQ’s Frazer Institute said the research showed a diet with a lower ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) makes T cells much more resilient and resistant to cell death.

“The findings mark a profound leap in understanding of how our diet directly impacts immune system function,’’ Professor Yu said.

“Our immune system relies on T cells to manage the body's immune response.

“The kinds of fats you eat change the fat composition inside your T cells and those changes can make T cells either weaker or stronger in terms of immune protection.

"How our bodies and cells process dietary fats - called lipid metabolism – is a critical part of the immune system.

“This discovery shows that dietary changes could potentially boost the effectiveness of vaccines and cancer therapies.’’

Examples of foods high in PUFAs include fatty fish and soybeans, while MUFAs include olive oil and avocadoes.

Professor Yu said T-cells were vulnerable to a type of cell death that occurred when oxidised fats build up and destroy the cell’s outer membrane.

“When T cells are protected from this oxidation-induced cell death, specific T cells (called follicular helper T cells) become much better at assisting the body in producing antibodies, which could suggest enhanced vaccine protection,’’ he said.

“Stronger, more resilient T cells are also better at multiplying and actively attacking tumours.

“Experimental models demonstrate that dietary fat modifications could improve the success of cancer treatments which could help eliminate tumours and significantly prolong survival.

“In future, optimising a patient's diet and targeting lipid metabolism could become an easily accessible way to enhance our immunity.

“This could represent a powerful approach, used alongside vaccines or cancer immunotherapies, to ensure immune cells are strong enough to fight off disease.’’

The ideal ratio of PUFA to MUFA foods in the diet is not yet known and Professor Yu said further research was needed to determine exact role of the different fats in T-cell death.

The research is published in Nature.

Collaboration and acknowledgements