Lard Might Be Better Than You Think
A moderate lard-included diet reduces fat deposition and inflammation in the adipose tissue
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Eating a little bit of lard (animal fat) made mice store less fat than eating the same amount of plant oils. This happened because lard raised a chemical in the blood that told fat cells to break down fat and attracted helpful immune cells.
Surprising Findings
Lard, a saturated fat, reduced fat accumulation and inflammation better than high-MUFA plant oils like camellia seed oil.
Camellia seed oil is 81% monounsaturated fat—similar to olive oil, which is widely promoted as heart-healthy. Yet lard outperformed it in fat reduction and inflammation control.
Practical Takeaways
If you cook with oil, consider using lard or tallow for high-heat cooking—especially if you're trying to manage body fat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Eating a little bit of lard (animal fat) made mice store less fat than eating the same amount of plant oils. This happened because lard raised a chemical in the blood that told fat cells to break down fat and attracted helpful immune cells.
Surprising Findings
Lard, a saturated fat, reduced fat accumulation and inflammation better than high-MUFA plant oils like camellia seed oil.
Camellia seed oil is 81% monounsaturated fat—similar to olive oil, which is widely promoted as heart-healthy. Yet lard outperformed it in fat reduction and inflammation control.
Practical Takeaways
If you cook with oil, consider using lard or tallow for high-heat cooking—especially if you're trying to manage body fat.
Publication
Journal
NPJ Science of Food
Year
2025
Authors
Xiang-Jiang Liu, Sha Liu, Jingwen Wang, Liu Xu, Zhaoqing Hou, Yule Deng, Rui Zhang, Qiurong Xu, Sisi Yan, Xiaowen Li, Lixin Wen, Ji Wang
Related Content
Claims (10)
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.
When mice ate a moderate amount of lard (pig fat), they stored less fat in their fat tissue than mice that ate the same amount of plant-based oils.
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 muscle relative to their total weight than mice eating camellia seed oil, even though they weighed the same or more.
Mice that ate lard had their bodies activate more genes and proteins that break down fat and turn off genes that make new fat, compared to mice eating plant oils.