The consumption of high-calorie diets has become prevalent in industrialized nations and is associated with increased body mass, inflammation, and resulting pathologies. What are the underlying mechanisms connecting diets of high-energy, processed food to inflammation? Christ et al. show that mice fed on a high-calorie Western diet developed systemic inflammation and functionally reprogrammed granulocyte monocyte precursor cells. After a standard chow diet was restored to the animals, inflammation persisted, indicating that components in the Western diet induced innate immune memory. This study identifies possible targets for preventing diet-induced inflammation.
