Imagine that some of the foods you eat every day – from breakfast biscuits and rolls to certain sausages or empanadas – and which have always been associated with unwanted fats, could have a completely unexpected effect on your body.
A study published this month in Food science found that a diet containing a moderate proportion of lard, present in many foods, reduced body fat accumulation and inflammation levels in laboratory mice, compared to diets based on certain vegetable oils. The results are surprising because they contradict the widely held perception that all animal fats are necessarily harmful.
Reduced fat and inflammation
The research, carried out by a team of Chinese scientists from Hunan Agricultural University, analyzed how different types of fat-affected mice fed on lard, tea leaf oil and peanut oil.
The results surprised even the scientists themselves, since the mice that consumed lard recorded a reduction of almost 29% in your total body fat compared to those who received vegetable oils. Additionally, they showed better indicators of inflammation in adipose tissue, a key fact because chronic inflammation is associated with metabolic problems.
The researchers identified a possible culprit for this effect: a compound called bile taurocholate, a bile acid whose concentration was particularly high in butter-fed mice. This compound would have a dual role; on the one hand, it would help transform stored fat into energy, thus stimulating lipid metabolism, while, on the other hand, It would modulate the immune response, thus reducing the inflammatory activity of adipose tissue.
Additionally, this study observed an increase in the number of cells with anti-inflammatory functions in animals consuming butter, a finding that reinforces the hypothesis that This fat, taken in moderate quantities, could behave differently what is usually expected from animal fats.
The scientists caution, however, that the results come from experiments with mice and cannot be extrapolated directly to humans without additional studies. As a precaution, they suggest combining lard with vegetable oils like soy or canola, and that an adult consume no more than 25 to 30 grams of fat per day.
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