Changes in HDL Cholesterol and in the Inflammatory Markers of Atherogenesis After an Oral Fat Load in Type-2 Diabetic Patients and Normal Individuals

Abstract

Type-2 diabetic patients exhibit postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Several inflammatory markers are also risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) and number of leukocytes. There is a relationship between the increase in triglycerides and that of leukocytes in the postprandial period. Our objective was to evaluate whether the lipid changes in the postprandial period are related to changes in the inflammatory markers of atherogenesis in type-2 diabetic patients. Lipids, ultrasensitive CRP, and leukocyte count were analyzed during fasting and after a meal containing 56 g of fat. There was a decrease in HDL-cholesterol at five hours in the control group and at three and five hours in the diabetic group, and an increase in triglycerides at both three and five hours in the two groups, the latter being more evident at five hours in the diabetic patients. The decrease in HDL-cholesterol in the diabetic patients was inversely proportional to waist circumference, waist hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI). The number of leukocytes showed an increase in both groups at both times, being more apparent at five hours. There were no differences in lipids or markers between the groups. The fall in postprandial HDL-cholesterol correlated with visceral obesity in the group with type-2 diabetes. Hypertriglyceridemia and lowered HDL-cholesterol in the postprandial period were accompanied by a rise in the number of leukocytes in both healthy and type-2 diabetic subjects.