Overriding the Immune System’s Sweet Tooth: Fatty Acids Rile Up Innate Immunity

Mogilenko et al. dissect mechanisms by which fatty acids lead to a state of heightened innate immunity and inflammation. They reveal a metabolic adaptation to elevated fatty acids that involves a shift in the balance between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation and activation of the unfolded protein response, linking the high-fat Western diet to systemic inflammatory disease.