Is your cholesterol level creating zombie immune cells?
You know how one fender-bender can block up traffic for hours, fueling road rage? Well, the same thing happens when your LDL cholesterol level is too high and it bangs up your liver by contributing to fatty liver disease, aka MASLD. (It affects around 100 million Americas!) But elevated LDL does more than harm your liver. It interferes with the removal of immune cells called "senescent macrophages" that have stopped dividing (a sign of life) but refuse to die. When these living-dead cells hang around, they become zombies that pump out lots of toxic, inflammatory signals. It's a vicious circle: MASLD becomes worse, LDL levels increase, and your whole system is primed for premature aging.
This new insight is part of a study published in Nature Aging that also identified a compound, ABT-263, that removes these zombie cells in mice and reverses MASLD. Too toxic for humans, the researchers are searching for another compound that works as well in people but without the risky side effects. Stay tuned!
What is certain today, however, is how important it is to avoid LDL-boosting foods, along with inflammatory, ultraprocessed foods and added sugars. They promote heart and liver disease and help create the zombie cells. That accelerates biological aging throughout your body, including in your brain and fatty tissue, where they cause inflamm-aging (really!) and fuel the vicious circle that leads to increased metabolic dysfunction.
Want your zombies to leave your body -- permanently? Check out my book "What to Eat When" and the anti-aging diet plan at 4YOUngevity.com.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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