When mice had more taurocholic acid in their blood, their fat cells turned on more genes that help break down fat.

In lab-grown fat cells and immune cells, adding taurocholic acid made the fat cells store less fat and turned immune cells into a type that reduces inflammation.

Mice that ate lard had more of a bile acid called TCA in their blood, and the more TCA they had, the smaller their fat cells and the more their bodies were breaking down fat and calming inflammation.

When scientists added TCA (a bile acid) to fat cells and immune cells in a dish, it made the fat cells store less fat and the immune cells become less inflamed, mimicking what was seen in mice that ate lard.

Mice that ate a moderate amount of lard had more of a substance called taurocholic acid in their blood than mice that ate other oils.