[Therapeutic application of diacylglycerol oil for the metabolic syndrome].

Excess adiposity has been shown to play a crucial role in the development of the metabolic syndrome. Characteristics for dyslipidemia in the metabolic syndrome are elevated fasting and postprandial triglyceride (TG) and decreased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). Diacylglycerol(DAG) has been suggested to suppress postprandial hyperlipidemia and promote negative caloric balance by increasing energy expenditure, due to intestinal physiochemical dynamics that differ from triacylglycerol (TAG). Our study (Study 1) demonstrated that DAG suppressed postprandial increase in TG-rich lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), and insulin as compared with TAG in young male individuals. Further, our another study using the apolipoprotein C-II deficient subject demonstrated that DAG suppressed postprandial increase in VLDL-cholesterol and remnant-like particle-cholesterol compared with TAG, suggesting that DAG suppress postprandial TG-rich lipoprotein independent of lipoprotein lipase. Study 1 also showed that DAG significantly increased plasma serotonin, which is mostly present in intestine and mediates thermogenesis, proposing a possible mechanism for a postprandial increase in energy expenditure by DAG. Our studies presented DAG-mediated amelioration in postprandial TG-rich lipoprotein, insulin, and energy metabolism, indicating the therapeutic application of DAG for the metabolic syndrome.