Research
Energy balance
Activation of the bile acid receptor TGR5 (GPBAR1) increases energy expenditure and thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue and muscle, and stimulates GLP-1 release to improve glucose tolerance.
Bile acids that activate TGR5 (like those from certain diets or supplements) may help burn more energy and improve blood sugar control by stimulating GLP-1. However, specific TGR5-targeted drugs are still in development and not yet standard care.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Mouse studies have shown that activation of TGR5 in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and muscle positively regulates energy expenditure... TGR5 activation in these cells induces release of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)... resulting in increased oxygen consumption and energy expenditure.
Why this rating
Strong mouse data and some human serum correlation studies, but fewer direct human intervention trials compared to FXR.
Source
Bile acids and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Juan Pablo Arab et al. · Hepatology · 2016
DOI 10.1002/hep.28709
narrative_reviewCited 606×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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