Heavy Communication Breakdown

Much of this press release for a new study featured in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism is just a string of complex medical terms that make my brain bleed. However, I did extract some cool intel from this passage:

Fat tissue is no longer considered simply a storage place for excess calories, but in fact is an active tissue that secretes multiple compounds, thereby communicating with other tissues, including the liver, muscles, pancreas and the brain. Normal communication is necessary for optimal metabolism and weight regulation. However, in obesity, fat (adipose) tissue becomes dysfunctional, and mis-communicates with the other tissues. This places fat tissue at a central junction in mechanisms leading to common diseases attributed to obesity, like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Fat tissue dysfunction is believed to be caused by obesity-induced fat tissue stress: Cells over-grow as they store increasing amounts of fat. This excessive cell growth may cause decreased oxygen delivery into the tissue; individual cells may die (at least in mouse models), and fat tissue inflammation ensues. Also, excess nutrients (glucose, fatty acids) can also result in increased metabolic demands, and this in itself can cause cellular stress.

So basically, think of your body's communication system as a protracted version of the kid's game Telephone. If you're obese, when the message "Insulin, please control the sugar in that Milky Way" reaches your fat tissues, it might be misheard as "Insulin, please take a very long holiday" and, next thing you know, you have diabetes.

And now that I've shared that with you, I'm going to go shove some cotton in my ears and try to control the hemorrhaging.