Polyunsaturated fatty acids include omega-6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid (soybean oil, etc.) and omega-3 fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid (eg, sesame oil). The former intake is increasing.A high-fat diet also affects the development of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity and the intestinal flora.

　In recent years, research on gut microbiota has progressed, and the pathway by which polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet are metabolized by gut microbiota has been clarified. was.

　Here we find that gut bacteria are involved in high-fat diet-induced obesity by controlling the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in the diet.In experiments with mice, lactic acid bacteria were significantly reduced in the cecum of mice fed a high-fat diet, and several gut microbiota-metabolized fatty acids, including HYA, the initial metabolite of linoleic acid, were significantly reduced. rice field.

　In addition, adipose tissue inflammation was observed in mice supplemented with linoleic acid on a high-fat diet, but obesity symptoms due to a high-fat diet were improved in mice supplemented with HYA without inducing adipose tissue inflammation.In addition, mice supplemented with HYA during a high-fat diet with the same level of HYA concentration in the intestine as when ingesting a normal diet were confirmed to have an improving effect on impaired glucose tolerance due to obesity.

　Based on this achievement, it is expected that the dietary habits that control the intestinal environment and the metabolites of intestinal bacteria will be applied to establish treatments for metabolic diseases.

　This research was attended by Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Keio University, Kyoto University, Chiba University, Kumamoto University, Shizuoka Prefectural University, and the University of Toronto in Canada.

Paper information:[Nature Communications] Gut microbiota confers host resistance to obesity by metabolizing dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids