Saito S, et al. – A double–blind randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the impact of alpha–linolenic acid–rich diacylglycerol (ALA–DAG) compared with alpha–linolenic acid–rich triacylglycerol (ALA–TAG) on visceral fat area (VFA) in people with overweight. The results confirmed that incorporation of alpha–linolenic acid–rich diacylglycerol in a regular diet for 12 weeks may lead to a reduction in visceral fat area, body mass index, and serum TAG in men and women with overweight.

Methods

• Participants with overweight were included in a randomized, double–blind, controlled, parallel–group designed trial and randomly allocated to two groups that consumed either 2.5 g/d ALA–TAG or ALA–DAG for 12 weeks.
• Before and after the treatment period, two 4–week nontreatment periods were placed.
• Researchers included 114 subjects (n=57 in the ALA–TAG group, n=57 in the ALA–DAG group) into the analysis set for efficacy evaluation.

Results

• The data showed that VFA and BMI were significantly decreased by the ALA–DAG treatment with a treatment–by–time interaction compared with the ALA–TAG treatment (P<0.05).
• Furthermore, the alteration from baseline of the fasting serum TAG concentration at week 12 was significantly decreased by ALA–DAG treatment compared with ALA–TAG treatment (P<0.05).
• They exhibited evidence that safety parameters such as urinary measurements, hematologic parameters and blood biochemistry, and the incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between groups, and no ALA–DAG–associated adverse effects were detected.