In a murine model of obesity induced by a high-fat diet, Henagan et al. observed similar outcomes, noting that butyric acid amplifies mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, upregulates the expression of fatty acid oxidase and uncoupling protein (UCP) 69, and initiates the nuclear coding of mitochondrial genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PGC1α), culminating in enhanced β-oxidation and improved insulin sensitivity (Henagan et al., 2015). Here, INS is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.