ABSTRACT
Introduction The present report describes two approaches for enhancement of the nutritional applications of diacylglycerol (DAG). First, we incorporated new nutritional substances, such as phytosterols (PS), into the DAG oil to enhance its nutritional effect. Phytosterols (PS) are a naturally occurring constituent of plants that chemically resemble cholesterol. The addition of soy phytosterol to a cholesterol-enriched diet has been shown to prevent elevation of plasma cholesterol in experimental animals and humans (1-3). The study was therefore designed to compare the cholesterol-lowering effect of PS in DAG oil vs. PS in TAG oil in cholesterol-fed rabbits and humans. Second, we enhanced the antiobesity effect of DAG by incorporating n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) into the DAG structure. It has been reported that n-3 PUFA in foods, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and αlinolenic acid (ALA) have various beneficial effects (4-11). The n-3 PUFA affect lipid metabolism by decreasing blood lipid concentration (12), body weight, and percentage of body fat (13). We therefore investigated whether a combination of DAG structure with n-3 PUFA could enhance the antiobesity effect of DAG.
