Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : December 13, 2025 6:04 PM IST
Obesity Alert: Soybean oil is a popular cooking oil that is used widely across the globe. It is an oil produced from the seeds of the soybean plant that contains cardioprotective polyunsaturated fatty acids, which include omega-3 alpha linoleic acid and omega-6 linoleic acid. Leading health authorities, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), European Food Safety Authority, and Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommend that moderate usage of soybean oil can help reduce cardiovascular disease.
However, other research offers evidence that consuming too much soybean oil or omega-3 fatty acids may increase your risk for developing certain health issues, such as ulcerative colitis, dementia, obesity, neuroinflammation, and type-2 diabetes. The animal study now published in the Journal of Lipid Research showed how consuming excessive soybean oil may contribute risk of developing obesity in the long run.
The corresponding author of a new study, Sonia Poonamjot Deol, assistant professional researcher at the University of California, Riverside, told Medical News Today, "Cooking oils are an integral part of our food system and are used not only for cooking in home kitchens, but also in restaurants. They are also increasingly being incorporated into processed and ultra processed foods. Increased consumption of [certain] fats is linked to the development of many metabolic and inflammatory diseases, including obesity. Therefore, understanding the role that cooking oils, especially soybean oil, which is the most widely consumed edible oil in the U.S. and the second most widely consumed edible oil globally, can have on the development of obesity is critical."
During the examination, the researchers focused on a genetically engineered or transgenic mouse model. At the time of the examination, most normal mice were fed a diet rich in soybean oil which gained weight and develop fatty livers. Whereas, genetically engineered mice that ate the same diet were much more resistant to weight gain and liver fat.
Interestingly, these mice created an altered version of liver protein called HNF4 , a protein that plays an important role in developing the pancreas and lower gastrointestinal tract, a part of the functions of the liver. According to scientists, the HNF4 protein only exists in humans due to chronic illness or metabolic stress. Thus, finding a major discovery in the mice is concerning.
Deol explains, "From our previous studies we knew that these transgenic mice have lower than normal gene expression for the enzymes that are involved in converting linoleic acid into the pro-inflammatory oxylipins. We therefore hypothesized that these mice would not get obese on the soybean oil diet because they would have decreased oxylipin production."
The researchers of the study further confirm that the findings will help them provide a mechanism to identify which soybean oils can cause obesity. Additionally, they have also identified the molecular pathways that are involved in making a person gain weight when consuming soybean oil. They said, "This information can be used in the future for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against metabolic diseases."
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