Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Sep 21;8(9):580.
doi: 10.3390/nu8090580.

Impact of the Content of Fatty Acids of Oral Fat Tolerance Tests on Postprandial Triglyceridemia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Milena Monfort-Pires  1 , Javier Delgado-Lista  2   3 , Francisco Gomez-Delgado  4   5 , José Lopez-Miranda  6   7 , Pablo Perez-Martinez  8   9 , Sandra Roberta Gouvea Ferreira  10
Affiliations
Review

Impact of the Content of Fatty Acids of Oral Fat Tolerance Tests on Postprandial Triglyceridemia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Milena Monfort-Pires et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Whether the content of saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) could differently influence postprandial triglycerides (TG) is unknown. We examined possible differences in the postprandial TG response to fat tolerance tests (FTTs), in which SFA or unsaturated fatty acids were used. Crossover clinical trials investigating the effects of FTTs containing SFA and unsaturated fats on postprandial triglyceridemia in databases from 1994 until 2016 were searched. Of 356 studies, 338 were excluded and 18 were considered. TG net incremental areas under the curve were calculated using time-points or changes from baseline. Pooled effects of standardized mean differences and I² test were used.

Results: In 12 studies, responses to SFA versus PUFA meals, and in 16 studies versus MUFA meals were compared. Over 4 hours, no differences between SFA and unsaturated fats were observed. Over 8 hours a lower response to PUFA (SMD -2.28; 95%CI -4.16, -0.41) and a trend to lower response to MUFA (SMD -0.89, 95%CI -1.82, 0.04) were detected. FTTs shorter than 8 hours may not be sufficient to differentiate postprandial TG after challenges with distinct fatty acids. Clinical significance of different postprandial TG responses on cardiovascular risk in the long-term deserves investigation.

Keywords: Fat tolerance test; monounsaturated fatty acids; polyunsaturated fatty acids; postprandial triglycerides; saturated fatty acids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. There are no relationships with industry regarding this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the systematic search strategy and study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of postprandial triglycerides of saturated fatty acids compared to polyunsaturated fatty acids over 8 h.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of postprandial triglycerides of saturated fatty acids compared to polyunsaturated fatty acids over 4 h.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of postprandial triglycerides of saturated fatty acids compared to monounsaturated fatty acids over 8 h.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of postprandial triglycerides of saturated fatty acids compared to monounsaturated fatty acids over 4 h.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kolovou G.D., Mikhailidis D.P., Kovar J., Lairon D., Nordestgaard B.G., Chye Ooi T., Perez-Martinez P., Bilianou H., Anagnostopoulou K., Panotopoulos G. Assessment and clinical relevance of non-fasting and postprandial triglycerides: An expert panel statement. Curr. Vasc. Pharmacol. 2011;9:258–270. doi: 10.2174/157016111795495549. - DOI - PubMed
    1. DECODE Study Group. European Diabetes Epidemiology Group Glucose tolerance and mortality: Comparison of WHO and American Diabetes Association diagnostic criteria. Lancet. 1999;354:617–621. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. International Diabetes Federation . Definition and Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and Intermediate Hyperglycaemia: Report of WHO/IDF Consultation. IDF; Geneve, Switzerland: 2006.
    1. Nordestgaard B.G., Benn M., Schnohr P., Tybjærg-Hansen A. Nonfasting triglycerides and risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, and death in men and women. JAMA. 2007;298:299–308. doi: 10.1001/jama.298.3.299. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bansal S., Buring J.E., Rifai N., Mora S., Sacks F.M., Ridker P.M. Fasting compared with nonfasting triglycerides and risk of cardiovascular events in women. JAMA. 2007;298:309–316. doi: 10.1001/jama.298.3.309. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources