IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-What you eat-and how much-shapes anti-tumor immunity

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The symposium opened with Lydia Lynch discussing how obesity, diet, and whole-body metabolism shape anti-tumor immunity. She explained that immune cells are influenced not just by total body fat, but by the specific nutrients they encounter. In human endometrial cancer, higher BMI was associated with reduced CD8 T-cell infiltration, while weight loss after bariatric surgery sometimes increased immune infiltration and even produced complete tumor regression in some patients.<br /><br />Lynch then reviewed work showing that obesity impairs NK cells and CD8 T cells by reprogramming their metabolism, reducing glycolysis, ATP, interferon-gamma production, and killing capacity. Her lab next showed that not all high-fat diets behave the same: animal fats such as butter and lard accelerated tumor growth, while some plant-based fats did not, even when they produced similar obesity. The key difference appeared to be the combination of long-chain fatty acids and cholesterol, which altered tumor lipids, increased lipid-rich macrophages, and activated inflammasome-related inflammation.<br /><br />Finally, she showed that eating behavior matters: mice that consumed high-fat food during the day, when they normally should not eat, developed larger tumors, while time-restricted feeding reduced tumor growth. Overall, she argued that cancer risk and immune dysfunction are driven less by obesity alone and more by the type, timing, and amount of food consumed.

Meta Tag

Date April 17, 2026 8:00 AM - 8:33 AM

Room Ballroom

Session Major Symposium D: Obesity, Environment, and Immunity, Sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company

Speaker Lydia Lynch

Track Cellular Adhesion, Migration, and Inflammation (CAM)

Year 2026

Keywords

obesity

anti-tumor immunity

CD8 T cells

NK cells

high-fat diet

cholesterol

time-restricted feeding

April 17, 2026 8:00 AM - 8:33 AM

Ballroom

Major Symposium D: Obesity, Environment, and Immunity, Sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company

Lydia Lynch

Cellular Adhesion, Migration, and Inflammation (CAM)

2026