Why too much fat in mice can give them a sick liver
A low-carbohydrate diet induces hepatic insulin resistance and metabolic associated fatty liver disease in mice
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice eating a very low-carb, high-fat diet got fatty livers and their bodies stopped responding to sugar control very quickly. Their belly fat started making a 'sickness signal' (IL-6) that hurt the liver. Stopping this signal fixed the problem.
Surprising Findings
A high-fat, low-carb diet caused worse liver damage than a high-fat, higher-carb diet (HFD).
Most assume that high-fat diets cause fatty liver, but here, the *ketogenic* diet (lower carb, higher fat) was worse than the standard high-fat diet — challenging the idea that carbs are the sole driver of liver fat.
Practical Takeaways
If considering long-term keto, monitor liver enzymes (ALT/AST) and inflammatory markers.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice eating a very low-carb, high-fat diet got fatty livers and their bodies stopped responding to sugar control very quickly. Their belly fat started making a 'sickness signal' (IL-6) that hurt the liver. Stopping this signal fixed the problem.
Surprising Findings
A high-fat, low-carb diet caused worse liver damage than a high-fat, higher-carb diet (HFD).
Most assume that high-fat diets cause fatty liver, but here, the *ketogenic* diet (lower carb, higher fat) was worse than the standard high-fat diet — challenging the idea that carbs are the sole driver of liver fat.
Practical Takeaways
If considering long-term keto, monitor liver enzymes (ALT/AST) and inflammatory markers.
Publication
Journal
Molecular Metabolism
Year
2023
Authors
Fen Long, M. R. Bhatti, Alexandra Kellenberger, Wenfei Sun, S. Modica, M. Höring, G. Liebisch, Jean-Philippe Krieger, C. Wolfrum, T. D. Challa
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Claims (6)
Eating too many carbs and calories — especially from sugary or processed foods — is what mainly causes fatty liver, not eating fat. Cutting out carbs or going on a carnivore diet might help reverse it.
In mice, eating a super high-fat, very low-carb diet causes fat to build up quickly in the liver — way more than with other diets — which could be harmful.
In mice, going on a keto diet for just 3 days seems to make their livers less responsive to insulin—even though their blood sugar is lower—suggesting early signs of metabolic problems.
In mice, eating a keto diet for just 3 days seems to raise a certain protein linked to inflammation, especially from belly fat, which might lead to liver problems and trouble using insulin.
In mice, blocking two specific signals in the body (IL-6 and JNK) fixes blood sugar problems, fatty liver, and insulin resistance caused by a keto diet—basically undoing those issues in just 3 days.