Lipids are a diverse group of molecules that play essential roles in human physiology and disease. A new study published in Nature Metabolism has taken a deep dive into the human lipidome, tracking how it changes under healthy and diseased conditions. The study found that although everyone’s lipidome has a distinctive signature, certain types of lipids change predictably with a person’s health. For example, more than half of the cataloged lipids were associated with insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. The researchers also identified more than 200 lipids that fluctuate over the course of a respiratory viral infection. These findings suggest that lipids could be used as biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of disease. They also point to potential new targets for therapeutic intervention.
