The Study
Dysregulation of Hypothalamic Gene Expression and the Oxytocinergic System by Soybean Oil Diets in Male Mice
This study found that when male mice eat a lot of soybean oil, their brains show some changes in genes and hormones, and they get worse at handling sugar. But we don’t know if this happens in people, or if the oil directly caused it — it’s just a pattern we saw in mice.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Feeding mice soybean oil changed their brain signals for hunger and sugar control, even when they didn't get fatter.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 512 / 100
Quality 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.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if similar in humans, this could mean common soybean oil in processed foods may disrupt appetite and blood sugar without causing weight gain.
- 2Mice on soybean oil had 2x more Oxt gene activity in the brain and higher oxytocin in blood, but less oxytocin stored in brain areas that control appetite.
- 3They also had 30% worse glucose tolerance than mice on coconut oil.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Endocrinology
Year
2020
Authors
Poonamjot Deol, Elena V. Kozlova, Matt Valdez, Catherine Ho, Ei-Wen Yang, Holly Richardson, Gwendolyn M. González, Edward Truong, Jack Reid, Joe Valdez, Jonathan R. Deans, Jose Martinez-Lomeli, Jane R. Evans, Tao Jiang, F. Sladek, M. Currás-Collazo
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.