Unsaturated fats can help control damaging bouts of inflammation in colitis

An overly robust immune response to usually harmless germs has been linked to colitis, a potentially severe inflammation of the colon that afflicts millions of people worldwide. A new Yale-led study not only reveals that the presence of one class of fatty acids is the hidden villain that quietly triggers this inflammation, but also found that another group of fats—unsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil—can alleviate symptoms of colitis in mice.