Imagine starting the new year with a sense of hope and determination, ready to embrace all those resolutions you’ve set for yourself. Perhaps eating healthier and cutting back on the fat is on your mind. Well, it seems that science is now providing some weight to that idea. A recent study conducted at UC Riverside has unveiled some rather concerning effects of high-fat diets on our bodies.

In this experiment, the researchers fed mice three different high-fat diets over the span of 24 weeks. What they uncovered was quite alarming. It appears that a diet high in fat doesn’t just lead to weight gain or digestive issues – it can actually impact our immune system, brain function, and potentially even increase our susceptibility to COVID-19.

What’s particularly intriguing about this study is the varying types of fat that were tested. Whether it was coconut oil, modified soybean oil, or unmodified soybean oil, all the fats led to disconcerting changes in the gene expression of the mice.

There is a common belief that plant-based diets are always the healthier option, but this study challenges that notion. It reveals that even fats from plant sources can have detrimental effects on our bodies when consumed excessively.

Further discoveries were made about the changes in the mice’s intestines. Not only did the high-fat diets cause an increase in pathogenic E. coli, but they also suppressed a type of protective bacteria. Essentially, these diets not only affected the mice’s waistlines, but also compromised their ability to fight off infections.

What’s more worrisome is the revelation that these diets caused an increase in the expression of proteins that the COVID-19 virus exploits to enter the body. This indicates that high-fat diets may elevate the risk of falling ill to the virus. Not exactly what we want to hear during a pandemic, is it?

But the concerns don’t end there. These diets also led to an increase in the presence of stem cells in the colon, which are precursors to cancer. It seems that in this case, “too much of a good thing” really does ring true.

The researchers do stress that these findings are specifically linked to soybean oil and may not apply to other soy products. They also emphasize the need for more research to assess if the same effects would manifest in humans.

However, there’s no need to panic just yet. The researchers highlight that it’s not about the occasional indulgent meal, but rather the consistent high-fat diet over time. Just think of the mice in the study – they consumed these diets for 24 weeks, which is equivalent to starting in childhood and continuing until middle age for humans.

The key lesson here is to reconsider our relationship with fat. While a certain amount of fat is necessary in our diets, it seems that less is more. The hope is that this study will encourage people to take a closer look at their eating habits, not just for physical appearance, but also for the strength of our immune systems and the health of our brains.

So, if you’re making those New Year’s resolutions, perhaps consider adding this to the list: consume less fat and be gentle on your body. It just might make all the difference.