Probiotic Yogurt Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Lipid Accumulation and Insulin Resistance in Mice via the Adiponectin Pathway

A high-fat diet (HFD) easily contributes to the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance. Obesity and insulin resistance have been clinical and public health challenges all over the world. Probiotic-fermented yogurt is one type of popular and functional beverage in people's daily lives. This study mainly explored the lipid- and glucose-lowering effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus NX2-6-fermented yogurt (LA-Y) in HFD-fed mice. The results showed that LA-Y administration improved the lipid profile in the serum and liver, reduced fasting blood glucose levels, and enhanced insulin sensitivity. Protein analysis showed that LA-Y treatment promoted fatty acid oxidation and suppressed de novo lipogenesis in the adipose tissue and liver. LA-Y effectively alleviated glucose metabolism disorders by activating the insulin signaling pathway, suppressing gluconeogenesis in the liver and muscle, reducing the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum, and promoting glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in the small intestine. LA-Y supplementation also promoted fat browning via the adiponectin/AMPKα/PGC-1α/UCP1 pathway and enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis in the liver and muscle by activating the adiponectin/AdipoR1/APPL1/AMPKα/PGC-1α pathway, leading to increased energy expenditure. Therefore, LA-Y may be a functional dairy food for preventing and alleviating diet-induced metabolic disorders.