ENOVA - NEW COMMERCIAL FAT

WILL I USE ENOVA?

INTRODUCTION: Enova is a new manufactured fat sold by ADM (Archer Daniels Midland). It is being marketed as worthwhile to reduce calorie and fat consumption. In response to an inquiry by a chemistry professor for a class, I did an information literacy analysis of Enova. Here I provide my impression of Enova based on my background in nutrition and biochemistry.

To summarize, Enova is a diglyceride manufactured by coupling two fatty acids with glycerol. The fatty acids are connected to C-1 and C-3 of the glyceride. The fatty acids they use include mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids isolated from vegetable sources. The oil also contains about 9 iu of vitamin E. The daily value for vitamin E is 30 iu, and nutrition experts consider 200-400 iu daily a reasonable intake via a supplement to prevent heart disease and other serious diseases associated with age.

Executive Summary/Contents

I. Commercial site interpretation - suspicious

2. "Research link" of ENOVA site - suspicious

3. PubMed search of ENOVA - Peer reviewed literature has NOTHING independent about Enova!

4. Conclusion - WASTE OF MONEY

5. Anecdotal comments received

1. Reading of commercial site:

A. "Compared to conventional oils, less Enova™ oil is stored in the body as fat."

no evidence given to support this

B. "Total fat (14 grams) is predominantly unsaturated - 8 grams polyunsaturated, 5 grams monounsaturated. Less than 1 gram (0.5 gram) is saturated, which is half the saturated fat of canola oil. Enova™ oil is naturally cholesterol free, and each serving provides 30% daily value of vitamin E."

-good design, but very expensive

C. "1,3 DAG are converted into 1- (or 3-) monoglycerides by the 1,3 lipases in the small intestine"

also converted to glycerol and Fatty acids. Probably almost no monoglycerides; this claim likely hype

D. "The metabolism or breakdown of DAG oil by the intestine and the liver may enhance the reduction of body weight and body fat. "

Note word may. No evidence or sensible reason. Using olive oil probably cheaper and more effective; tons of evidence of benefit of olive oil, see my web site

E. "Our recommended serving size is 2 tablespoons per day"

How realistic is this? US diet is 30% fat=about 900 cal per day = 8 tablespoons Enova

F. "Enova™ oil established as GRAS (generally recognized as safe)"

-has FDA approval, like COX-2 inhibitors; how much does current FDA approval mean given scandals?

G. "Initial studies of people on a calorie-controlled diet indicate that body weight and body fat losses may occur to a greater extent when consuming 25 to 30 grams of Enova™ oil daily in place of conventional oil."

-Consuming monounsaturated Enova is obviously better than saturated or trans-fat. I would be glad to see comparison with olive oil. I'd bet on olive oil and a vit. E supplement to be much better for health and cost.

H. "Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Lipids and the Annals of Nutrition Metabolism."

-not top nutrition journals, studies sponsored by company, search medline for independent studies

I. "is found in all natural vegetable oils at low concentrations"

-so it is likely metabolized like natural oils to fatty acids in intestine

J. "Because Enova™ oil is digested the same way as conventional vegetable oils, the potential side effects are no different than those of a conventional oil."

-but very different ratio of DMG to TMG, so signalling likely different, may affect intestine flora, etc.

K. "The Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is approximately 10:1"

Major problem in US diet is omega 6:3 ratio. Monounsatd fats are major area of study now. Olive oil has much better ratio. I think 6:1 is desirable but please check.

2. Research link they provide

Note it is not peer-reviewed published, but does have citations. Many concerns about research reported, e.g. no comment on whether data is statistically significant, short term studies on food ignore signalling/seletion effects. Citation list does contain legitimate journals.

3. Search of PubMed for legitimate peer reviewed articles found NO articles published naming Enova in legitimate journals. However, there are articles on diacylglycerols. However, the articles in that group about DAG as food were those sponsored by the manufacturer. When I reviewed one of those articles, it was a short term study. Benefit of Enova was about 3%, while the control benefit was about 2%. Not a major benefit compared to the risk of trying something of unknown long-term safety.

4. General conclusion: WILL I USE ENOVA? DEFINITELY NOT.

The manufacturers try to fool us into believing there is legitimate research on this product and that it has been shown to be safe and useful. This product is a great way to exploit ignorant consumers, like all of the diet products. It will let people get fat without feeling guilty. Instead of diet or exercise, they will eat Enova. Olive oil and a vitamin E tablet would be much healthier and less expensive. But Enova has a bigger advertising budget and a better profit margin. Capitalism beats public health once again.

5. While we're at it, here's another manufactured fat that the FDA has approved, Olestra:

Daily Intake of Multivitamins during Long-Term Intake of Olestra in Men Prevents Declines in Serum Vitamins A and E but Not Carotenoids

 J. Nutr. 2005 135: 1456-1461

We concludethat supplementation with a multivitamin containing vitaminsA and E was adequate to prevent olestra-induced decrease inserum -tocopherol and retinol. Olestra-induced decreases inserum ß-carotene, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthinwere not prevented by the vitamin supplement used in this study.

5. Anecdotal remarks