Fasting triacylglycerol status, but not polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio, influences the postprandial response to a series of oral fat tolerance tests

Abstract

Elevated postprandial lipemia is emerging as a risk factor for obesity-related chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and is associated with alterations in several metabolic biomarkers of disease. Our goal was to examine the effects of specific polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid (P/S) ratios on postprandial triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations and metabolic biomarkers in men with different fasting TAG concentrations through a series of oral fat tolerance tests (OFTT) consisting solely of emulsified lipid. Otherwise healthy men with high (>1.69 mmol/L) fasting TAG (HTAG, n=8) and low fasting TAG (LTAG, n=8) underwent three OFTTs with specific P/S ratios of 0.2, 1.0 and 2.0, respectively, and a total lipid load of 1 g/kg subject body mass. All subjects received each treatment separated by at least 1 week. Postprandial plasma TAG fatty acid composition reflected fatty acids present in the OFTT. All other metabolic responses were independent of the P/S ratio ingested. An accelerated increase in postprandial TAGs was observed in HTAG compared to LTAG. Interleukin (IL)-6 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 were significantly elevated in HTAG at baseline (P<.05). IL-6 increased significantly following each OFTT (P<.05) in both groups. Postprandial glucose and CRP were significantly exaggerated (P<.05) in HTAG. Overall, HTAG subjects had an accelerated postprandial TAG response and increased concentrations of several inflammatory markers following an OFTT, in the absence of an insulin response. However, P/S ratio had no influence on postprandial lipid and inflammatory parameters.