July 6, 2011 | Suzy

My guiltiest pleasures are decadent desserts, but this new discovery may help me ditch the side order of mortal peril that always seems to come with my profiteroles.

Researchers have discovered a way to make a high-fat diet less deadly to cells. They can target a single gene that makes cells self-destruct in the presence of high levels of fat in the bloodstream.

This gene contributes to cell damage in diseases such as diabetes. If the gene can be switched off it could lead to more effective drugs for these conditions.