Mechanisms preserving insulin action during high dietary fat intake in healthy men

Prolonged intervention studies investigating molecular metabolism are necessary for a deeper understanding of dietary effects on health. Here we provide mechanistic information about metabolic adaptation to fat-rich diets. Healthy men ingested saturated (SFA) or poly unsaturated (PUFA) fat-rich diets for six weeks during weight maintenance. Hyperinsulinemic clamps combined with leg balance technique revealed unchanged peripheral insulin sensitivity, independent of fatty acid type. Both diets increased fat oxidation potential in muscle. Hepatic insulin clearance increased, while glucose production, de novo lipogenesis and plasma triacylglycerol decreased. High fat intake changed the plasma proteome in immune-supporting direction and the gut microbiome displayed changes at taxonomical and functional level with PUFA. In mice, eucaloric feeding of human PUFA and SFA diets lowered hepatic triacylglycerol content compared to low-fat fed control mice, and induced adaptations in the liver supportive of decreased gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis. Intake of fat-rich diets thus induces extensive metabolic adaptations enabling disposition of dietary fat without metabolic complications.