UF Health Cancer Center researchers have found a surprising culprit behind common health problems like obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease: silent genetic glitches in the blood system that occur naturally as people age.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, mean that in the future, simple blood tests could be developed to identify people most at risk early on, helping prevent chronic illnesses and cancer through strategies like diet or lifestyle changes.
“Most people don’t think about the blood as causing obesity and related diseases, but our surprising findings highlight that there’s a causal relationship between mutations in blood stem cells and metabolic diseases,” said lead author Bowen Yan, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the UF College of Medicine.
Read more about Study Finds Hidden Blood Mutations Spark Obesity, Diabetes and Liver Disease.
