Research

Hormonal

Metabolic endotoxaemia, characterized by elevated circulating lipopolysaccharides (LPS) due to increased gut permeability, drives low-grade chronic inflammation associated with type 2 diabetes, NAFLD, and obesity.

High-fat diets can increase gut permeability, allowing lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This triggers a low-grade inflammatory response via Toll-like receptors, contributing to insulin resistance and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and NAFLD. Managing fat intake and supporting gut barrier integrity are key to reducing this inflammatory burden.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
metabolic endotoxaemia, in which high- fat diet and weight gain have been associated with a higher gut permeability and subsequent systemic (mild) elevation in circulating plasma LPS. This causes a state of low- grade inflammation, which is a pathological feature of a range of chronic conditions including T2D, NAFLD, chronic kidney disease and atherosclerosis.
Willem M. de Vos et al. · Gut · 2022

Why this rating

Well-established in the literature reviewed, with interventional studies cited.

Source

Gut microbiome and health: mechanistic insights

Willem M. de Vos et al. · Gut · 2022

DOI 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-326789

narrative_reviewCited 2,263×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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