By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D. Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Dec 4 2025 Researchers reveal how soybean oil triggers weight gain by flipping a metabolic switch in the liver, and why a single gene variant can stop it from happening. Study: P2-HNF4α Alters Linoleic Acid Metabolism and Mitigates Soybean Oil-Induced Obesity: Role for Oxylipins. Image Credit: crystal light / Shutterstock.com A recent study published in the  Journal of Lipid Research examines how a soybean-oil–based high-fat diet