Research

Hormonal

Activation of the gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR43 in adipose tissue suppresses insulin signaling, thereby inhibiting fat accumulation and promoting energy expenditure.

To leverage this mechanism, prioritize dietary fiber intake to support gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (like acetate). These SCFAs activate GPR43 receptors in fat tissue, which helps suppress insulin-driven fat storage and promotes energy expenditure. This suggests that a high-fiber diet may support weight management through hormonal signaling, not just calorie reduction.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
short-chain fatty acid-mediated activation of GPR43 suppresses insulin signalling in adipocytes, which inhibits fat accumulation in adipose tissue and promotes the metabolism of unincorporated lipids and glucose in other tissues.
Ikuo Kimura et al. · Nature Communications · 2013

Why this rating

High-quality mechanistic evidence using knockout and transgenic mouse models, though not human clinical trials.

Source

The gut microbiota suppresses insulin-mediated fat accumulation via the short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR43

Ikuo Kimura et al. · Nature Communications · 2013

DOI 10.1038/ncomms2852

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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