Diacylglycerol: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Diacylglycerol is a compound found in small amounts in plant oils. Oils rich in diacylglycerol can be made in the lab and used to replace fats in the diet.

Diacylglycerol might work by increasing energy use and the breakdown of fat. Diacylglycerol-concentrated oils taste and look like regular fats and cooking oils.

People use diacylglycerol for obesity, diabetes, high levels of triglycerides in the blood, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.

Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Effective for

Obesity. Taking diacylglycerol by mouth seems to improve weight loss in overweight or obese adults.

There is interest in using diacylglycerol for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Diacylglycerol is likely safe for most people. It's usually well tolerated, but might cause some stomach upset similar to other cooking oils.

Special Precautions and Warnings

When taken by mouth: Diacylglycerol is likely safe for most people. It's usually well tolerated, but might cause some stomach upset similar to other cooking oils.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Diacylglycerol is likely safe when consumed in foods. There isn't enough reliable information to know if diacylglycerol is safe to use in larger amounts when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Diacylglycerol overview.

Dosing

Diacylglycerol is a compound naturally found in small amounts in plant oils. Oils such as soybean and rapeseed can be changed to include higher concentrations of diacylglycerol to be used as replacement cooking oils. It's most often been used by adults in doses of 10-20 grams by mouth daily for up to 1 year. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

View References

REFERENCES:

US Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition. Office of Premarket Approval. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 00056. DEcember 4, 2000 Available at: https://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~rdb/opa-g056.html

Maki KC, Davidson MH, Tsushima R, et al. Consumption of diacylglycerol oil as part of a reduced-energy diet enhances loss of body weight and fat in comparison with consumption of a triacylglycerol control oil. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:1230-6..

Yamamoto K, Asakawa H, Tokunaga K, et al. Long-term ingestion of dietary diacylglycerol lowers serum triacylglycerol in type II diabetic patients with hypertriglyceridemia. J Nutr 2001;131:3204-7..

Nagao T, Watanabe H, Goto N, et al. Dietary diacylglycerol suppresses accumulation of body fat compared to triacylglycerol in men in a double-blind controlled trial. J Nutr 2000;130:792-7..

Taguchi H, Watanabe H, Onizawa K, et al. Double-blind controlled study on the effects of dietary diacylglycerol on postprandial serum and chylomicron triacylglycerol responses in healthy humans. J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:789-96..

Watanabe H, Onizawa K, Naito S, et al. Fat-soluble vitamin status is not affected by diacylglycerol consumption. Ann Nutr Metab 2001;45:259-64..

Saito S, Takeshita M, Tomonobu K, et al. Dose-dependent cholesterol-lowering effect of a mayonnaise-type product with a main component of diacylglycerol-containing plant sterol esters. Nutrition 2006;22:174-8.

Tomonobu K, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. Dietary diacylglycerol in a typical meal suppresses postprandial increases in serum lipid levels compared with dietary triacylglycerol. Nutrition 2006;22:128-35.

Yamamoto K, Tomonobu K, Asakawa H, et al. Diet therapy with diacylglycerol oil delays the progression of renal failure in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. Diabetes Care 2006;29:417-9.

Saito S, Tomonobu K, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. Effects of diacylglycerol on postprandial energy expenditure and respiratory quotient in healthy subjects. Nutrition 2006;22:30-5.

Takase H, Shoji K, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. Effect of diacylglycerol on postprandial lipid metabolism in non-diabetic subjects with and without insulin resistance. Atherosclerosis 2005;180:197-204.

Yasunaga K, Glinsmann WH, Seo Y, et al. Safety aspects regarding the consumption of high-dose dietary diacylglycerol oil in men and women in a double-blind controlled trial in comparison with consumption of a triacylglycerol control oil. Food Chem Toxicol 2004;42:1419-29.

Yanai H, Yoshida H, Tomono Y, et al. Effects of diacylglycerol on glucose, lipid metabolism, and plasma serotonin levels in lean Japanese. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(1):47-51.

Reyes G, Yasunaga K, Rothenstein E, et al. Effects of a 1,3-diacylglycerol oil-enriched diet on postprandial lipemia in people with insulin resistance. J Lipid Res. 2008;49(3):670-8.

Kawashima H, Takase H, Yasunaga K, et al. One-year ad libitum consumption of diacylglycerol oil as part of a regular diet results in modest weight loss in comparison with consumption of a triacylglycerol control oil in overweight Japanese subjects. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(1):57-66.

Li D, Xu T, Takase H, et al. Diacylglycerol-induced improvement of whole-body insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a long-term randomized, double-blind controlled study. Clin Nutr. 2008;27(2):203-11.

Yuan Q, Ramprasath VR, Harding SV, Rideout TC, Chan YM, Jones PJH. Diacylglycerol oil reduces body fat but does not alter energy or lipid metabolism in overweight, hypertriglyceridemic women. J Nutr. 2010;140(6):1122-6.

Hibi M, Sugiura Y, Yokoyama R, et al. The short-term effect of diacylglycerol oil consumption on total and dietary fat utilization in overweight women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(3):536-40.

Saito S, Mori A, Osaki N, Katsuragi Y. Diacylglycerol enhances the effects of alpha-linolenic acid against visceral fat: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017;25(10):1667-1675.

Zheng JS, Wang L, Lin M, Yang H, Li D. BMI status influences the response of insulin sensitivity to diacylglycerol oil in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2015;24(1):65-72.

Wang W, Xu T, Li X, Zhu Q, Cheng A, Du F, Li D. Effect of diacylglycerol supplementation on fasting serum triacylglycerol concentration: a meta-analysis. Lipids. 2010;45(12):1139-46.

Xu T, Li X, Ma X, Zhang Z, Zhang T, Li D. Effect of diacylglycerol on postprandial serum triacylglycerol concentration: a meta-analysis. Lipids. 2009;44(2):161-8.

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