As one of the three major nutrients, dietary lipids provide energy and nutrition for human. The quantity and quality of dietary lipids affect the composition of gut microbiota, which consequently may affect the host metabolic health. Development of disease animal models is an important approach to study the relationship between gut microbiota and human metabolic health. In this review, we discussed the types of dietary lipids, and summarized how dietary lipids affect the composition of gut microbiota and regulate the metabolic health of animal models. The clarification of potential underlying mechanisms will shed lights on future research in other live systems including human.