Research
Mixed
Dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), particularly from extra virgin olive oil, increases the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduces obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease in animal and human models.
Incorporate monounsaturated fats, especially from extra virgin olive oil, into your diet. This is linked to a healthier gut microbiome, reduced obesity, and lower risk of insulin resistance and inflammation in both animal and human studies.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
MUFA consumption is associated with reduced effects of obesity and its related metabolic syndromes [91–93]. Furthermore, these health beneficial effects demonstrated by MUFAs result from their apolipoproteins (E and C-III) that present a high affinity for the hepatic receptors and rapidly activate synthetic and catabolic pathways for triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein metabolism [94,95].
Why this rating
Supported by both animal models and human studies (Table 4) showing consistent benefits.
Source
Fatty Acid Diets: Regulation of Gut Microbiota Composition and Obesity and Its Related Metabolic Dysbiosis
David Johane Machate et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2020
DOI 10.3390/ijms21114093
narrative_reviewCited 242×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as EPA and DHA from fish oil, increases the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduces obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease, whereas n-6 PUFAs (like linoleic acid) may have the opposite effect.Good
- Dietary intake of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) from sources like virgin coconut oil can increase the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduce obesity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in animal models, although high-concentration coconut oil diets may have the opposite effect.Moderate
- High intake of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), particularly from saturated sources like palm oil and lard, increases the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, leading to obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease in animal models.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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