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Summary: Background & aims: Atherogenic blood lipoprotein levels are dramatically increased during menopause. The solubilization of plant sterols (PS) in a diacylglycerol (DAG)-rich oil has recently been proposed as a more effective method of incorporating PS into food products; however, the effect of PS solubilized in DAG oil on serum lipid abnormalities in women after menopause is unknown. The effect of the daily consumption of DAG oil containing PS (4wt%, PS/DAG) oil on serum lipid parameters was examined in postmenopausal women. Methods: Fourteen postmenopausal women with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomly assigned to treatment with either PS/DAG or DAG (control) oil, and were instructed to replace the ordinary cooking oils used at home for 4 weeks in a crossover manner. Results: The average intake of PS from the PS/DAG and control oils were 563 and 50mg/day, respectively (P=0.001). During control period, no effect on serum triacylglycerol and cholesterol concentrations was observed. Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B concentrations reduced by 10.2% (P=0.004), 12.1% (P=0.003) and 9.7% (P=0.001) during the PS/DAG oil period compared to the control period, respectively. In addition, a slight but significant (P=0.023) reduction in serum lipoprotein(a) concentration was observed, especially, in subjects with higher levels of baseline values (>20mg/dL). Conclusions: Dietary PS/DAG oil may be a useful adjunct for the management not only of blood cholesterols, but also of lipoprotein (a) in postmenopausal women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Diacylglycerol is a natural component of edible oils that has metabolic characteristics that are distinct from those of triacylglycerol. Objective: We assessed the efficacy of an oil containing mainly 1,3-diacylglycerol in reducing body weight and fat mass when incorporated into a reduced-energy diet. Design: The study was a randomized, double-blind, parallel intervention trial that was conducted at an outpatient clinical research center. The subjects (n = 131) were overweight or obese men (waist circumference ⩾ 90 cm) and women (waist circumference ⩾ 87 cm). Food products (muffins, crackers, soup, cookies, and granola bars) containing diacylglycerol or triacylglycerol oil and having the same fatty acid composition were incorporated into a reduced-energy diet (2100-3350-kJ/d deficit) for 24 wk. Percentages of change in body weight, fat mass, and intraabdominal fat area were assessed. Results: In an intention-to-treat analysis, body weight and fat mass decreased significantly more in the diacylglycerol group than in the triacylglycerol group (P = 0.025 and 0.037, respectively). By the end of the trial, mean body weight had decreased 3.6% and 2.5% in the diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol groups, respectively. Fat mass decreased 8.3% and 5.6% in the diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol groups, respectively. Conclusion: Foods containing diacylglycerol oil promoted weight loss and body fat reduction and may be useful as an adjunct to diet therapy in the management of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of dietary diacylglycerol (DAG) on the bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins in comparison with triacylglycerol (TAG). Methods: We conducted a long-term administration test of DAG and TAG in 27 healthy men aged 27–47 years. After measuring baseline values, subjects were randomized into two groups, one group (n = 15) was given DAG and the other (n = 12) was given TAG. Subjects ingested 20 g of DAG or TAG either in mayonnaise or an emulsion drink of their own choice at meals once a day for 12 weeks. At 4, 8 and 12 weeks, fasting blood samples were drawn and serum levels of vitamin A, E, and D were measured. Results: There were no significant changes in vitamin A levels throughout the study period. Compared to the initial values (using a Student’s t test for paired values), significant differences of vitamin E and D were seen at some points during the experiment. According to a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance, however, DAG and TAG (lipid) and time had no effect on fat-soluble vitamin levels. Conclusions: Our results indicate that DAG does not affect the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins in diets.Copyright © 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: We previously reported that diacylglycerol (DAG) as compared with triacylglycerol (TAG) suppressed increases in postprandial lipids in healthy volunteers. This study was to investigate the effects of DAG on postprandial lipids, particularly remnant lipoproteins in diabetics. Methods: Emulsified DAG oil or TAG oil with a fatty acid composition similar to DAG oil was orally administered (30 g fat/m2 of body surface) to moderately controlled six diabetics, with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) below 8%, after fasting for at least 12 h in a randomized crossover manner. Serum cholesterol and TAG, lipids in remnant-like particles (RLP), and other lipid parameters including serum ketone bodies were measured prior to and 2, 4, and 6 h after fat loading. Results: DAG loading significantly suppressed increases in postprandial serum TAG and lipids in RLP as compared with TAG loading. The incremental area under the curve (IAUC) for serum TAG and that for lipids in RLP with DAG loading were also significantly smaller than those with TAG loading. However, changes in serum levels of insulin, free fatty acids, and ketone bodies during fat loading were essentially the same for DAG and TAG. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that substituting DAG intake for TAG may be beneficial to moderately controlled diabetics due to its effect in reducing postprandial hyperlipidemia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We have recently shown that the long-term ingestion of dietary diacylglycerol (DAG) mainly containing 1,3-isoform reduces body fat accumulation in humans as compared to triacylglycerol (TAG) with the same fatty acid composition. The fat reduction in this human experiment was most pronounced in visceral fat and hepatic fat. Recent animal studies have also indicated that dietary DAG induces alteration of lipid metabolism in the rat liver. In the present study, the dietary effects of DAG on high fat diet-induced hepatic fat accumulation and hepatic microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) activity were examined in comparison with those of TAG diet in rats. When the TAG oil content was increased from 10 to 30 g/100 g diet, hepatic TAG concentration, hepatic MTP activity and MTP large subunit mRNA levels were significantly increased after 21 days. However, when the dietary TAG oil (30 g/100 g diet) was replaced with the same concentration of DAG oil with the same fatty acid composition, the increase of the TAG concentration and the MTP activity in the liver were significantly less and the mRNA levels remained unchanged. The MTP activity levels correlated significantly with hepatic TAG concentration.These results showed that dietary DAG may suppress high fat diet-induced MTP activity in the liver, and indicated the possibility that hepatic TAG concentration may regulate hepatic MTP activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]