Research

Hormonal

High-fat diets increase circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels (metabolic endotoxemia) through chylomicron-mediated absorption and increased intestinal permeability, leading to subclinical inflammation and insulin resistance.

High-fat meals can trigger gut-derived inflammation (endotoxemia) which contributes to insulin resistance. However, the type of fat matters: emulsified fats (like some vegetable oils) may worsen this effect compared to solid fats (like butter). To minimize this, consider the source and physical state of fats in your diet, and potentially combine high-fat meals with anti-inflammatory foods like flavonoid-rich juices.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Excessive fat intake may favour an increase in circulatory LPS, leading to metabolic endotoxaemia... The greater inflammation observed in individuals with metabolic diseases could be a consequence of the excessive production of mediators by immune cells stimulated by LPS.
Ana Paula Boroni Moreira et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2012

Why this rating

The paper is a review citing multiple animal and human studies showing consistent associations, though causality in humans is complex.

Source

Influence of a high-fat diet on gut microbiota, intestinal permeability and metabolic endotoxaemia

Ana Paula Boroni Moreira et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2012

DOI 10.1017/s0007114512001213

narrative_reviewCited 638×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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