Obesity is a global epidemic and increases the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), heart disease and cancer. In lean healthy individuals the host immune system is equipped with mechanisms to deal with insults such as inflammation or malignant cells. Obese people are at greater risk of disease as their immune system is altered. Chronic inflammation plays a major role in obesity and is now seen in obese children. This results in inflamed tissues, exhausted immune cells and ultimately inflammatory disease. Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a gut hormone now used in the treatment of T2DM. We have reported that GLP-1 impacts inflammation and the immune system. In this study we will look in detail at how GLP-1 impacts inflammation in patients with T2DM and other inflammatory conditions including psoriasis, arthritis and asthma. We will also look in vitro at the effect of GLP-1 on cells from obese children. This will determine if GLP-1 therapy plays a role in treating the inflammation present in obesity and its co-morbid inflammatory diseases. This in turn could have major implications for practice, offering a new treatment pathway for those with T2DM and co-morbid inflammatory diseases.
