Why mom pigs make fattier milk when they eat more olive oil
Oleic acid-enriched diet improves maternal lactation performance and neonatal growth through GPR40 and GPR120 signaling pathways
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
GPR40 inhibition cut triglyceride production by 37.6%—a large, precise effect from blocking one receptor.
Most people assume multiple pathways equally contribute to fat synthesis; this shows one receptor (GPR40) dominates, which is unusually clear-cut.
Practical Takeaways
Consider increasing olive oil intake during pregnancy or breastfeeding for its oleic acid content.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
GPR40 inhibition cut triglyceride production by 37.6%—a large, precise effect from blocking one receptor.
Most people assume multiple pathways equally contribute to fat synthesis; this shows one receptor (GPR40) dominates, which is unusually clear-cut.
Practical Takeaways
Consider increasing olive oil intake during pregnancy or breastfeeding for its oleic acid content.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Year
2025
Authors
Min Tian, Zhenting He, Siyu Yuan, Tongbin Lin, Senlin Su, Dongpang Chen, Xiangfang Zeng, Wutai Guan, Shihai Zhang
Related Content
Claims (6)
When mother pigs eat more oleic acid (a healthy fat), their milk becomes fattier and their baby pigs grow bigger by the time they're weaned.
In pig milk-making cells, oleic acid turns on certain fat-handling proteins and helps make more milk fat, and this happens mostly through two specific cell receptors called GPR40 and GPR120.
Baby pigs whose moms ate more oleic acid got more protective substances like antibodies and antioxidants through the milk, which may help them stay healthier after birth.
When scientists blocked one specific receptor (GPR40) in pig milk cells, the cells made about 38% less milk fat from oleic acid — blocking the other receptor (GPR120) had a smaller effect.
Human evolutionary adaptation is optimized for the consumption of animal-derived saturated and monounsaturated fats as primary dietary lipids.