Sumi Madoka, Hasegawa Yuka, Matsuyama Tomoyuki, Miyoshi Tomoki, Nakajima Hanako, Okamura Takuro, Nakanishi Naoko, Sasano Ryoichi, Hamaguchi Masahide, Fukui Michiaki
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
J Nutr Sci. 2025 Aug 26;14:e58. doi: 10.1017/jns.2025.10032. eCollection 2025.
High-fat diets are closely implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic conditions, including obesity and hepatic steatosis. Recently, coconut oil, which is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, has attracted significant attention for its potential anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of medium-chain fatty acids derived from coconut oil on metabolic disorders, particularly fatty liver, using a mouse model established by a high-fat diet. C57BL/6J mice were assigned to either the lard diet group or the coconut oil diet group and fed for 12 weeks. Glucose tolerance was assessed, and biochemical parameters, liver histology, and gene expression in the liver were analysed. Additionally, the concentrations of medium-chain fatty acids within the liver were determined through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Mice fed a coconut oil diet exhibited suppressed weight gain and improved glucose tolerance compared to mice fed a lard diet. Furthermore, the coconut oil diet resulted in reduced hepatic fat accumulation, decreased expression levels of genes implicated in inflammation and lipid metabolism within the liver, and higher concentrations of medium-chain fatty acids in the liver. Coconut oil may contribute to the suppression of hepatic fat accumulation in the liver and the prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease by increasing the levels of medium-chain fatty acids in the liver and suppressing the expression of genes implicated in inflammation and lipid metabolism.
高脂饮食与包括肥胖和肝脂肪变性在内的慢性疾病的发病机制密切相关。最近，富含中链脂肪酸的椰子油因其潜在的抗肥胖和抗炎特性而备受关注。本研究旨在使用高脂饮食建立的小鼠模型，评估椰子油衍生的中链脂肪酸对代谢紊乱，特别是脂肪肝的影响。将C57BL/6J小鼠分为猪油饮食组或椰子油饮食组，并喂养12周。评估葡萄糖耐量，并分析生化参数、肝脏组织学和肝脏中的基因表达。此外，通过气相色谱-质谱分析测定肝脏中中链脂肪酸的浓度。与喂食猪油饮食的小鼠相比，喂食椰子油饮食的小鼠体重增加受到抑制，葡萄糖耐量得到改善。此外，椰子油饮食导致肝脏脂肪堆积减少，肝脏中与炎症和脂质代谢相关的基因表达水平降低，肝脏中中链脂肪酸浓度升高。椰子油可能通过增加肝脏中中链脂肪酸的水平并抑制与炎症和脂质代谢相关的基因表达，有助于抑制肝脏中的脂肪堆积并预防非酒精性脂肪性肝病/代谢功能障碍相关脂肪性肝病。
