Overview
- In UC Riverside experiments, most mice on a high–soybean-oil, high-fat diet gained significant weight, while a transgenic line expressing the P2-HNF4α liver protein resisted obesity on the same diet.
- Researchers tied weight gain to oxylipins formed from linoleic acid in the liver, identifying specific oxylipins required for obesity in normal mice.
- Only liver oxylipin levels, not blood measurements, tracked with body weight, suggesting standard blood tests may miss early diet-driven metabolic changes.
- The modified mice showed reduced activity of enzyme families that convert linoleic acid into oxylipins, healthier liver tissue, improved mitochondrial function, and lower weight gain.
- Soybean oil intake has risen from about 2% to nearly 10% of U.S. calories, but experts caution mouse results may not translate to people, no human trials are planned, and researchers will test other high–linoleic oils next.