Margarine with medium-chain fats and body fat loss in people
What it found
Eating 14 g of margarine daily that contained 5 g of medium-chain fats led to greater losses of body fat, belly fat, and deep organ fat over 12 weeks in people.
Blood markers like cholesterol and blood sugar stayed about the same in both groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Body fat loss
After 12 weeks, the group eating medium-chain fat margarine lost more body fat than the regular oil group. The medium-chain group lost 3.8 kg of fat on average, while the regular oil group lost 2.4 kg.
Belly and deep fat
Scans showed bigger drops in fat under the skin and fat around the organs for the medium-chain group. Fat under the skin fell by 38.2 cm2 versus 22.6 cm2, and deep organ fat fell by 12.2 cm2 versus 1.6 cm2.
Weight and waist size
The medium-chain group also had larger drops in overall weight, body mass index, and waist size after 12 weeks compared with the regular oil group.
Blood markers unchanged
There were no meaningful differences between the groups in blood sugar, insulin, ketones, or liver enzymes. Total cholesterol and triglycerides also stayed about the same in both groups.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that eating margarine with 5 g of medium-chain fats reduced body fat, fat under the skin, and deep organ fat more than regular vegetable oil when meals were strictly controlled.
- They suggest this fat loss may happen because medium-chain fats raise heat production after meals and help control blood fat levels.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if a small daily amount of medium-chain fats in margarine could reduce body fat in people. Earlier work showed these fats raised heat production after meals compared with regular long-chain fats.
They split 73 adults into two groups for a 12-week trial where neither group knew which margarine they ate. One group ate 14 g of margarine containing 5 g of medium-chain fats each day, while the other ate margarine with regular vegetable oil. Both groups followed set meal plans providing 2,100 to 2,400 kcal and 65 to 73 g of total fat per day.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial lasted only 12 weeks, so it cannot show what happens to body fat over longer periods.
- Because the researchers tightly controlled the meals, the results might differ when people choose their own foods freely.
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 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error