Exchanging dietary fat source with extra virgin olive oil does not prevent progression of diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance

PLoS One. 2020 Sep 3;15(9):e0237946. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237946. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Dietary fat is discussed to be critical in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we assess the effect of exchanging dietary fat source from butterfat to extra virgin olive oil on the progression of an already existing diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice. Female C57BL/6J mice were fed a liquid butterfat-, fructose- and cholesterol-rich diet (BFC, 25E% from butterfat) or control diet (C, 12%E from soybean oil) for 13 weeks. In week 9, fat sources of some BFC- and C-fed mice were switched either to 25E% or 12E% olive oil (OFC and CO). Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed, and markers of liver damage and glucose metabolism were assessed. After 6 weeks of feeding, BFC-fed mice had developed marked signs of insulin resistance, which progressed to week 12 being not affected by the exchange of fat sources. Liver damage was similar between BFC- and OFC-fed mice. Markers of lipid metabolism and lipid peroxidation in liver and of insulin signaling in liver and muscle were also similarly altered in BFC- and OFC-fed mice. Taken together, our data suggest that exchanging butterfat with extra virgin olive oil has no effect on the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and glucose tolerance in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Glucose / metabolism
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Lipid Metabolism / drug effects
  • Lipid Peroxidation / drug effects
  • Liver / drug effects*
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / pathology*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / veterinary
  • Olive Oil / pharmacology*
  • Receptor, Insulin / genetics
  • Receptor, Insulin / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects

Substances

  • Insulin
  • Olive Oil
  • Receptor, Insulin
  • Glucose

Grants and funding

This research was in part funded by UFOP e.V. (I.B.), and in part by internal funding from the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, Germany, and University of Vienna, Austria. Open access funding provided by University of Vienna. None of the funders had a role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.