Margarine with MCT and body fat in a 12-week trial
What it found
In a 12-week trial in 73 Japanese adults, margarine containing medium-chain triglycerides led to greater reductions in body fat, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat than margarine with regular vegetable oil.
Blood measures were mostly similar between the two groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Body fat
After 12 weeks, the MCT group lost an average of 3.8 kg of body fat, compared with 2.4 kg in the LCT group. The difference was statistically significant.
Subcutaneous fat
The MCT group lost an average of 38.2 cm2 of subcutaneous fat, compared with 22.6 cm2 in the LCT group. The difference was statistically significant.
Visceral fat
The MCT group lost an average of 12.2 cm2 of visceral fat, compared with 1.6 cm2 in the LCT group. The difference was statistically significant.
Blood fats and glucose
There were no significant differences between the groups in total cholesterol, triglycerides, plasma glucose, or serum insulin. Some small differences in VLDL and HDL cholesterol were seen at certain time points.
Liver enzymes
Levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase did not differ significantly between the two diets.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, our results suggest that the intake of margarine containing 5 g of MCT significantly suppressed body fat, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat accumulation compared with comparable LCT intakes, when the subjects consumed a strictly controlled diet.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that eating margarine with 5 g of MCT significantly reduced body fat, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat compared with the same amount of LCT, when subjects ate a strictly controlled diet.
- They suggest that the mechanism may be a post-meal increase in thermogenesis and control of post-meal triglyceride levels by MCT.
How it was done
The authors previously found that eating margarine with medium-chain triglycerides increased post-meal calorie burning compared with long-chain triglycerides. They wanted to see if a small daily amount (5 g) could reduce body fat in people.
They ran a double-blind, controlled trial in 73 Japanese men and women aged 19 to 58. For 12 weeks, one group ate 14 g of margarine containing 5 g of medium-chain triglycerides daily, while the other ate the same amount of margarine with regular vegetable oil (long-chain triglycerides). Both groups followed a controlled diet of 2,100 to 2,400 kcal and 65 to 73 g of fat per day.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a 12-week trial in a specific group of Japanese adults, so the results may not apply to other populations or longer periods.
- The trial cannot show whether the fat loss would be maintained after the diet period ended.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Research Laboratory, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Effects of margarine containing medium-chain triacylglycerols on body fat reduction in humans
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Nosaka N, Maki H, Suzuki Y, et al (2003). Effects of margarine containing medium-chain triacylglycerols on body fat reduction in humans. Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. doi:10.5551/jat.10.290Free full textPubMed 14718746DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error