Lard and soybean oil blend fed to mice for 12 weeks
What it found
In mice, a blend of lard and soybean oil led to lower body weight, body fat and fat cell size than soybean oil or lard alone.
The blend also changed fat metabolism in fat tissue.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Body weight and fat
Mice fed 6.5% soybean oil gained more weight, while those fed the blended oil had a trend toward lower final body weight. The blended oil group had the lowest body fat rate among the 6.5% oil groups.
Blood fats
Mice on 6.5% blended oil had the lowest serum triglycerides. The blended oil also raised HDL cholesterol and, at 6.5%, raised LDL cholesterol compared to the other oils.
Fat cell size
Fat cells in the blended oil group were smaller than in the soybean oil or lard groups. Soybean oil led to larger fat cells.
Fat tissue metabolism
In fat tissue, the blended oil reduced markers of fat cell formation and fat building, and increased a marker of fat breakdown. Soybean oil had the opposite effect.
Liver fat
Liver triglycerides were lower in mice fed 6.5% oil than in those fed 3.8% oil. No liver injury was seen in any group.
What the authors conclude
“This study demonstrated that the oil mixture containing lard and soybean oil had a remarkable anti-obesity effect.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the oil mixture containing lard and soybean oil had a remarkable anti-obesity effect in mice.
- They suggest that the traditional Chinese dietary habit of using oils blended with lard and soybean oil might be one of the factors behind the lower percentages of overweight and obesity in China.
- They also propose that increasing dietary oil intake and changing its composition may have contributed to the rising obesity rate in China over the past decades.
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand why China has lower obesity rates than Western countries, despite a traditional habit of cooking with lard blended with vegetable oil. They also wanted to explain the rise in obesity in China over recent decades.
They fed 60 male mice, divided into six groups of 10, diets containing 3.8% or 6.5% soybean oil, lard, or a blend of 54% soybean oil and 46% lard for 12 weeks. The two levels were chosen to match the recommended daily oil intake (25 g) and the actual average intake in China (41.4 g).
What it can’t tell you
- This was a study in mice, so it cannot show what would happen in people.
- The mice were fed controlled diets for 12 weeks, so the results may not reflect long-term effects in free-living humans.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
- Authors work at
- Hunan Agricultural University, P.R. China; Hunan Collaborative Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, P.R. China
The paper
- Title
- Anti-obesity effect of a traditional Chinese dietary habit-blending lard with vegetable oil while cooking
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Wang J, Yan S, Xiao H, et al (2017). Anti-obesity effect of a traditional Chinese dietary habit-blending lard with vegetable oil while cooking. Scientific reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14704-2Free full textPubMed 29089626DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error