Monoglycerides and diglycerides are fats, but people who are trying to lose weight do not need to worry about restricting them.

Most of the fat that you eat is in the form of triglycerides. These fats occur in both animal and plant foods. Triglycerides have a chemical structure shaped like an E. The "tri" of triglycerides means that there are three vertical lines off the horizontal line of the fat molecule. Monoglycerides have only one vertical line, and diglycerides have only two. Otherwise all three glycerides are fats and affect your body in the same way. They all have nine calories per gram and are broken down in the same way to form the same building blocks that are absorbed from your intestines into your bloodstream.

While triglycerides comprise most of the fat that you eat, monoglycerides and diglycerides together make up less than one percent. They are added to foods to make bakery products taste smooth and to prevent the oil from separating out in foods such as peanut butter. Check the list of ingredients of the foods you buy, and you will see that monoglycerides and diglycerides are listed no higher than fourth on the label. This means that they are added in such small amounts that they contribute an insignificant amount of fat or calories to your diet.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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