THE RELIABILITY OF POSTPRANDIAL LIPEMIA MEASUREMENTS 736

Abstract

Postprandial lipemia (PPL) measurements are gaining increased acceptance as important markers of risk of cardiovascular disease. Although many studies have examined factors that influence PPL measurements, few have addressed the reliability of these measurements. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of PPL measurements obtained on three separate days. Subjects were 10 men (age 29.4±8.0 years) who had fasting triglyceride concentrations < 250 mgdl-1. The subjects all refrained from alcohol for 72 hours and exercise for 24 hours and consumed a standardized meal 10-12 hours prior to each experimental trial. All trials began in the morning and consisted of first obtaining a baseline blood sample which was followed by consumption of a 680 calorie beverage (70 g fat). Subsequent blood samples were then obtained every 2 hours for the next 8 hours. Subjects were allowed to leave the laboratory between samples; however, they were instructed to refrain from any moderate-vigorous activity and to remain as sedentary as possible. Mean (±SEM) results were as follows:Table ANOVA revealed no significant difference between the trials. The mean intraindividual variability and correlation coefficients between the 3 trials for PPL area were 19%, 22%, and 17% and 0.79, 0.79, and 0.91, respectively. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that although mean data appears to be stable for PPL measures, intraindividual variability is relatively high. More studies are needed to evaluate PPL reliability before these measures are used in intervention type research protocols.