There is a clear relationship between excess intake of dietary fat (particularly animal-based fats such as lard) and the development of obesity and insulin resistance. However there are also several classes of dietary fatty acids that appear to have beneficial health effects, including medium chain fatty acids (rich in coconut oil) and omega-3 fatty acids (rich in fish oil). This project will investigate the molecular pathways that these dietary fatty acids switch on to prevent the development of obesity and insulin resistance.