A new study published in the Journal of Lipid Research suggests that soybean oil, the most widely consumed edible oil in the United States, may play a direct role in dyslipidemia. promote obesityand its effects appear to be related to how the body processes one of its key components.
Researchers fed mice a diet rich in soybean oil and tracked how they metabolized linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that makes up the bulk of soybean oil.
Linoleic acid is broken down into molecules called oxylipins in the body, and eating a lot of linoleic acid increases the amount of oxylipins. This study shows that specific oxylipins are associated with weight gain in mice.
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“This may be a first step toward understanding why a diet high in soybean oil makes some people more likely to gain weight than others,” Sonia Deol, a biomedical scientist at UCR and corresponding author of the study, said in a press release.
The researchers asked a simple question. Even if you reduce the ability of mice to convert linoleic acid to oxylipins, will they still become obese on a soybean oil diet?
To test this they genetically engineered Mouse strains expressing different versions of the liver regulatory gene P2-HNF4α.
This genetic change alters many metabolic pathways, including reducing the activity of several families of enzymes that normally convert linoleic acid to oxylipins. These enzymes are also present in all mammals, including humans, and their activity may vary depending on genetics, diet, and other factors.
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The researchers then fed both modified and normal mice a diet rich in soybean oil. At the end of the experiment, the engineered mice had healthier livers and gained far less weight than normal mice fed the same diet.
Researchers identified specific oxylipins made from linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid (another fat in soybean oil) that are associated with obesity in normal mice.
These oxylipins were more abundant in mice that became obese.
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The findings suggest that the body’s processing of linoleic acid may play an important role in how soybean oil contributes to fat storage.
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In other words, the problem may not just be the calories in the oil itself, but what the body turns those fatty acids into after they enter the metabolic system.
All of this research was done in mice, but the authors note that human metabolism is more complex. Still, this study raises questions about whether high intake of linoleic acid-rich oils may contribute to obesity through biochemical pathways beyond simple energy balance.
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Research shows that soybean oil has become the dominant cooking oil in American homes, restaurants, and processed foods. Due to its affordable price and neutral taste, it is often used overseas. packaged snacksfast food, fried food, etc.
The researchers stress that this study does not claim that soybean oil necessarily causes obesity in humans.
Instead, we highlight biochemical mechanisms that may help explain why. Meals high in this oil May promote weight gain in animal models.
The authors also caution that genetically engineered mice differ from humans because they are engineered to express much lower levels of the enzyme that converts linoleic acid to its metabolites. This allows scientists to see effects more clearly, but limits the extent to which the results can be applied directly to people.
