Transient Dietary Intervention Induces Healthy Adipose Tissue Expansion and Metabolically Healthy Obesity in Mice

As obesity progresses, dynamic tissue remodeling of adipose tissue occurs over time, that is, adipocyte hypertrophy, chronic inflammation, and interstitial fibrosis. Some obese individuals exhibit healthy adipose tissue expansion, characterized by modest inflammation and fibrosis despite adipocyte hypertrophy, resulting in “Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO)”. In this study, we investigated the effects of transient weight loss on adipose tissue remodeling during the development of obesity. Male C57BL6/J mice received various types of transient weight loss treatments during diet-induced obesity. A 2-week weight loss intervention during the inflammatory phase promoted healthy adipose tissue expansion, reduced ectopic lipid accumulation, and improved glucose metabolism. In contrast, protocols with shorter duration and delayed intervention, failed to induce MHO. Since serum concentrations of ketone bodies were elevated during weight loss, we examined the effects of hyperketonemia on obesity-induced adipose tissue remodeling. Transient treatment with 1,3-butanediol (BD), which increased serum ketone body concentrations to levels similar to those observed during weight loss, induced healthy adipose tissue expansion and reduced hepatic steatosis even during continuous high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. Ketone bodies effectively suppressed activation of adipose tissue fibroblasts in vivo and in vitro. This study provides evidence that an appropriate dietary intervention can promote healthy adipose tissue expansion in mice, even after the regaining of weight, thereby leading to MHO. As the underlying mechanism, our data revealed a key role for ketone bodies in suppressing activation of adipose tissue fibroblasts. This study paves the way for nutritional approaches to induce MHO.