Effect of low concentration of diacylglycerol on mildly postprandial hypertriglyceridemia

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that a high concentration of diacylglycerol (DAG) oil (approximately 80% in 10 g of test oil) suppressed increases in postprandial serum triglyceride (TG), particularly hypertriglyceridemia. However, the effects of a lower concentration of DAG oil have not been demonstrated. In the present study, the effective dose of DAG oil was determined in hypertriglyceridemia.

Methods: Randomized, double-blind, cross-over design study was conducted using 22 patients with mild hypertriglyceridemia. Changes in postprandial serum lipid concentrations were analyzed after ingestion of 10 g of test oil containing 1.3% (control), 27.3% (low dose), 54.6% (medium dose) or 80.8% (high dose) of emulsified DAG.

Results: The expanded Williams test indicated that the DAG dose that was most effective at altering postprandial serum TG and chylomicron-TG concentrations was ≥ 27.3% DAG in 10 g of test oil; ≥ 54.6% DAG in 10 g of test oil was needed to have an impact on postprandial serum apolipoprotein B-48 concentrations. Additionally, DAG was more effective in subjects with both hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension. In the current study, systolic blood pressure correlated with the increase in postprandial serum TG, suggesting that DAG improves hypertriglyceridemia, particularly when it is accompanied by hypertension.

Conclusion: DAG oil could be useful as an initial dietetic therapy for the treatment of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia with hypertension. The effective dose was ≥ 27.3% DAG in 10 g of oil.