Story perspectives

Post-Meal T Cells Outperform Fasting Ones, Fat Diet Boosts Immunity

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Greg Delgoffe reported that fed T cells fight infection better than fasting T cells.
In 31 participants, blood taken before breakfast and after lunch showed post-lunch T cells performed better in functional assays.
Mouse tests showed corn-oil diets boosted T-cell function more than carbohydrate or protein diets, and the effect lasted a week.
The findings, published in Nature, suggest a fat-rich diet could improve immunity and inform T-cell therapies.

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Story summary

Greg Delgoffe reported that fed T cells fight infection better than fasting T cells.
In 31 participants, blood taken before breakfast and after lunch showed post-lunch T cells performed better in functional assays.
Mouse tests showed corn-oil diets boosted T-cell function more than carbohydrate or protein diets, and the effect lasted a week.
The findings, published in Nature, suggest a fat-rich diet could improve immunity and inform T-cell therapies.