Diglycerides consist of three parts: a “backbone” called glycerin plus two “fatty acid tails” attached to that glycerin molecule. Actually, the glycerin molecule is not a fat at all; the chemical structure of glycerin is more similar to a carbohydrate. Nevertheless, glycerin is rarely utilized by the body as an energy source, and thus functions mainly as a fatty acid “carrier.” Dietary diglycerides included in foods are usually obtained from oils (often vegetable oil).