Obese Mice Have Weaker Immune Systems

A research study conducted by the University of North Carolina says that obese mice were less likely to be able to activate all of their immune system required for the fighting of flu infections. The results are important because it may be that obesity in humans may trigger the same weakened immune deficiency.

When the obese mice were given the flu virus 4 out of 10 of them succumbed to it. However the mice of that were not obese had a ten times better chance of suviving when infected with the same virus, with only 4% of them dying.

This study is the first one to evaluate and carefully study the effect that obesity can have on immune responses with flu viruses. A senior University of North Carolina professor and a doctoral student set up the research program and recorded the results.

This research has implications as it may be able to show that the the fact that the American population is getting more obese may also mean that it is more susceptible to fatalities from influenza. The influenza virus at present kills about 36,000 people in the United States every year and this figure could increase if the overall obesity of America increases.

Mice have often been used for influenza virus studies as they often give similar results to humans. The researchers noted that as well as a reduced immune response the obese mice also had weakened natural killer cells. These cells are an integral part of the human body's initial response to viruses and infection as they immediately prevent viruses reproducing by terminating infected cells. It was estimated that the natural killer cells had only half their killing effectiveness in the obese mice compared to the normal weight mice.

This study yet again accentuates the dangers of being obese and should act as a warning for the United States in light of a possible impending bird flu crisis.