Tohru Yamaguchi

Fat utilization in healthy subjects consuming diacylglycerol oil diet: dietary and whole body fat oxidation.

Several studies in animals and humans have reported beneficial effects of diacylglycerol (DAG) on lipid and energy metabolism. We assessed the effect of DAG versus triacylglycerol (TAG) treatment on total energy expenditure (TEE), total fat oxidation (Fox) and respiratory quotient (RQ), and measured the oxidation rate of each oil using a respiratory chamber and the 13C-stable isotope. Eleven healthy subjects participated in a double-blind, randomized crossover study. Subjects consumed an energy maintenance diet consisting of 55% of total calories from carbohydrate, 15% from protein and 30% from fat during both the 3-day pre-chamber and 36-h chamber period. Fifty percent of the fat was test oil, containing either DAG oil or TAG oil. The oxidation rate of ingested test oils was determined by monitoring 13CO2 excretion in the breath from 13C-labeled diolein or 13C-labeled triolein. There were no significant differences in TEE, RQ and total Fox between the DAG and TAG treatment in the overall analysis. In the subgroup analysis, DAG treatment decreased RQ significantly in subjects with a high fat ratio (HFR) compared to TAG treatment. In addition, ingested diolein oxidation in DAG treatment was significantly faster than triolein oxidation in TAG treatment in the HFR group. Enhanced fat utilization with DAG treatment and rapid oxidation of ingested DAG may, at least in part, explain the greater loss of body weight and body fat related to DAG consumption found in the weight-loss studies.

Measurement of glycidol hemoglobin adducts in humans who ingest edible oil containing small amounts of glycidol fatty acid esters.

Hemoglobin (Hb) adducts are frequently used to address and/or monitor exposure to reactive chemicals. Glycidol (G), a known animal carcinogen, has been reported to form Hb adducts. Here, we measure G adduct levels in humans who daily ingest DAG oil, an edible oil consisting mainly of diacylglycerol. Since DAG oil contains a small amount of glycidol fatty acid esters (GEs), possible exposure to G released from GEs has been raised as a possible concern. For measurement of Hb adducts, we employed the N-alkyl Edman method reported by Landin et al. (1996) using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with minor modifications to detect G-Hb adducts as N-(2,3-dihydroxy-propyl)valine (diHOPrVal). Blood samples were collected from 7 DAG oil users and 6 non-users, and then G-Hb adduct levels were measured. G-Hb adducts were detected in all samples. The average level of diHOPrVal was 3.5±1.9pmol/g globin in the DAG oil users and 7.1±3.1pmol/g globin in the non-users. We conclude that there is no increased exposure to G in individuals who daily ingest DAG oil.

Glycidol exposure evaluation of humans who have ingested diacylglycerol oil containing glycidol fatty acid esters using hemoglobin adducts.

Glycidol fatty acid esters (GEs) have been found as impurities in refined edible oils including diacylglycerol (DAG) oil, and concerns of possible exposure to glycidol (G), a known animal carcinogen, during digestion have been raised. We previously measured N-(2,3-dihydroxy-propyl)valine (diHOPrVal), a G hemoglobin adduct, for DAG oil exposed and non-exposed groups and showed there was no significant difference between them. In the present study, we conducted an additional analysis to verify the outcome of the previous report. The first experiment was designed as a matched case-control study to adjust variables with an increased sample size. The average levels of diHOPrVal were 6.9 pmol/g-globin (95%CI: 4.9-9.0) for 14 DAG oil exposed subjects and 7.3 pmol/g-globin (95%CI: 6.1-8.5) for 42 non-exposed volunteers, and no significant difference in levels was found between the two groups. In a second experiment, we compared the adduct levels of 12 DAG oil exposed subjects before and after discontinuing use of DAG oil, and found there was no significant change in diHOPrVal levels (from 7.1±1.1 to 7.5±1.4 pmol/g-globin). These results suggest that there was no increased exposure to G for humans who ingested DAG oil daily, although the evaluated population was limited.

Association of dietary factors with abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adiposity in Japanese men

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dietary factors and abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in overweight and obese men. METHODS A pooled cross-sectional analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between dietary factors (nutrition, dietary pattern and alcohol consumption) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral fat area (VFA) in 301 Japanese men, aged 21-65 years. RESULTS The standardized regression coefficients of major dietary items (total energy intake, energy intake from breakfast, lunch, supper, between-meal, protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol) were positive for VFA in multiple linear regression analyses with the use of age and dietary items as independent variables. The energy intake from between-meal snacks correlated with SFA (standardized regression coefficient β = 0.174, p = 0.002). The coefficient of alcohol intake was positive for VFA and negative for SFA, and alcohol intake correlated with the VFA/total fat area (TFA) ratio (β = 0.130, p = 0.009). Alcohol intake was positively correlated with the blood non-esterified fatty acid concentration. Alcohol consumption additively increased energy intake from supper. The risk of an increase to VFA ≥ 100 cm(2) was 2.02 times higher (95% CI: 1.15, 3.56) for subjects whose energy intake was ≥ 2200 kcal/d, and 2.07 times higher (95% CI: 1.26, 3.42) in those who consumed ≥ 3 g/d alcohol. The risk of an increase to a VFA/TFA ratio ≥ 0.4 was 1.81 times higher (95% CI: 1.01, 3.23) for subjects whose energy intake from supper was ≥ 1000 kcal/d. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that habitual alcohol drinking and high-energy intake from supper are associated with disproportionate accumulation of visceral fat.

Imaging and estimation of human abdominal fat by electrical impedance tomography using multiple voltage measurement patterns

A measuring device for human abdominal fat from the conductivity image derived by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is rarely found. This study was aimed to reconstruct precise conductivity images from multiple voltage measurements in different patterns of the combination of current and voltage electrodes. We examined two voltage measuring patterns using electrodes located at upper and lower levels around the abdomen of a subject. In the experiment, after 1024 voltage data were taken from one specified voltage measurement pattern, another 1024 data were also taken continuously using another pattern. The reconstruction of conductivity image was made using entire data. As a result, the tomography image was improved compared with the image obtained from single voltage measurement pattern. We then obtained the histogram of the conductivities and estimated the area of abdominal fat. The present method using multiple voltage measurement patterns would be effective, if the measuring time can be much reduced through future modification of the tomography device.

Computational method for estimating boundary of abdominal subcutaneous fat for absolute electrical impedance tomography

Abdominal fat accumulation is considered an essential indicator of human health. Electrical impedance tomography has considerable potential for abdominal fat imaging because of the low specific conductivity of human body fat. In this paper, we propose a robust reconstruction method for high-fidelity conductivity imaging by abstraction of the abdominal cross section using a relatively small number of parameters. Toward this end, we assume homogeneous conductivity in the abdominal subcutaneous fat area and characterize its geometrical shape by parameters defined as the ratio of the distance from the center to boundary of subcutaneous fat to the distance from the center to outer boundary in 64 equiangular directions. To estimate the shape parameters, the sensitivity of the noninvasively measured voltages with respect to the shape parameters is formulated for numerical optimization. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. A 3-dimensional finite element method is used to construct a computer model of the human abdomen. The inverse problems of shape parameters and conductivities are solved concurrently by iterative forward and inverse calculations. As a result, conductivity images are reconstructed with a small systemic error of less than 1% for the estimation of the subcutaneous fat area. A novel method is devised for estimating the boundary of the abdominal subcutaneous fat. The fidelity of the overall reconstructed image to the reference image is significantly improved. The results demonstrate the possibility of realization of an abdominal fat scanner as a low-cost, radiation-free medical device.