Diacylglycerol: Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of an Anti‐Obesity Agent

Abstract

Obesity is at the forefront of global health issues and directly contributes to many chronic illnesses. Several dietary components show promise in the treatment of obesity, one of which is oil rich in diacylglycerols (DAGs). Present objectives are to examine scientific knowledge concerning DAG to assess evidence supporting the effects on substrate oxidation rates, body weight and fat mass, and blood lipids, and to assess safety, as well as elucidate potential mechanisms of action. DAG can be synthesized by an enzymatic process to produce mainly 1,3-isoform DAG. This 1,3-DAG oil is believed to have the ability to increase beta-oxidation, to enhance body weight loss, to suppress body fat accumulation, and to lower serum triacylglycerol levels postprandially. While certain animal and human studies indicate that consumption of 1,3-DAG has positive physiological effects, others report no effect. The mechanisms of action of DAG are suggested to decrease the resynthesis of chylomicrons as well as shunting them directly to the liver through the portal vein, where they are oxidized. This increased fat oxidation may influence control of food intake by increasing satiety. Further study into the precise mechanism is required to understand its effects. Safety studies show no risks in consuming a diet rich in DAG oil. Overall, consumption of oils with higher amounts of DAG, specifically 1,3-DAG, may be useful in the battle against obesity.

Effects of a 1,3-diacylglycerol oil-enriched diet on postprandial lipemia in people with insulin resistance

“…Our DAG and TAG oil challenges were performed on the background of 5 weeks of each diet (DAG-or TAG-enriched NCEP diets). Finally, the longterm, chronic background diets of the subjects studied by Takase et al (35) were likely different from those of our subjects: in Western populations, the consumption of fats and oils accounts for at least 30% of total calories in the diet (23), whereas in Japan, the estimated percentage of fat calories is between 19.5% and 24% (50).…”

“…Recent interest relevant to this issue has focused on 1,3-DAG oil as such a diet alternative. This interest derives from the hypothesis that 1,3-DAG and 1-DAG are poor substrates for the reesterification of diet-derived FA in the enterocyte (23). Thus, after ingesting a DAG-enriched meal, less diet-derived FA would be incorporated into chylomicron TG, reducing the PP entry of dietary TG into the circulation.…”

“…The enzymes involved, monoacylglycerol acyltransferase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase, preferentially add FAs to the sn-1 or sn-3 position of the glycerol backbone and are more efficient in the presence of a FA in the sn-2 position (23,24). Indeed, prior studies in rodents suggest that FAs released from dietary 1,3-diacylglycerol (DAG) oil are not efficiently incorporated into chylomicrons after absorption from the intestinal lumen, resulting in greater FA oxidation in the small intestine (25) and liver (26,27).…”

Greater fat oxidation with diacylglycerol oil consumption for 14 days compared with triacylglycerol oil consumption in overweight men and women

“…10 Recent studies have reported that DAG oil has nutritional properties that are distinct from those of TAG oil because of differences in chemical structure. 11 Human studies in the US and Japan have demonstrated that long-term consumption of a diet containing DAG oil enhances loss of body weight and BF compared with a TAG oil with a similar fatty acid composition. 12,13 Animal studies have shown that both b-oxidation and expression of lipid metabolism-related genes in the liver and small intestine are enhanced with chronic DAG oil ingestion compared with TAG oil ingestion.…”

Inhibitory Effects ofCorni FructusExtract on Angiogenesis and Adipogenesis

“…Although alimentotherapy, exercise, and habit amendment should all be part of the routine method to suppress obesity, there have also been some real advances in the development of chemically synthesized drugs to treat obesity [13]. These drugs can be largely divided into two categories; one class of drugs reduces food intake by suppressing appetite, and the other stimulates fat metabolism, suppresses lipogenesis, and increases metabolic activity [14].…”