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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 56 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 56 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Liu X, Liu S, Wang J, Xu L, Hou Z, Deng Y, Zhang R, Xu Q, Yan S, Li X, Wen L, Wang J
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.