Project description:Soybean oil consumption is increasing worldwide and parallels the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Rich in unsaturated fats, especially linoleic acid, soybean oil is assumed to be healthy, and yet it induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and fatty liver in mice. The genetically modified soybean oil Plenish came on the U.S. market in 2014: it is low in linoleic acid and similar to olive oil in fatty acid composition. Here we show that Plenish induces less obesity than conventional soybean oil: metabolomics, proteomics and a transgenic mouse model implicate oxylipin metabolites of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic acid, respectively), which are generated by target genes of nuclear receptor HNF4α. While Plenish induces less insulin resistance than conventional soybean oil, it results in hepatomegaly and liver dysfunction as does olive oil. Altering the fatty acid profile of soybeans could help reduce obesity but may also cause liver complications.
Project description:Soybean oil consumption is increasing worldwide and parallels the rise in obesity. Rich in unsaturated fats, especially linoleic acid, soybean oil is assumed to be healthy, and yet it induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and fatty liver in mice. Here, we show that the genetically modified soybean oil Plenish, which came on the U.S. market in 2014 and is low in linoleic acid, induces less obesity than conventional soybean oil in C57BL/6male mice.