American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 13, 214-218, Copyright © 1963 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Successive Trials of Induced Alimentary Lipemia

¹ From the Veterans Administration Hospital, Palo Alto, California

Two successive trials of induced alimentary lipemia were made one week apart in twelve normal subjects. The test meal consisted of ice cream containing 100 gm. fat, 90 gm. carbohydrate and 14 gm. protein.

As judged by serum triglyceride levels, responses to successive trials of alimentary lipemia were poorly replicated at two and four hours, but rather consistent at six hours. This early variability limits the usefulness of this procedure for evaluating therapy. All subjects showed varying increases in serum triglyceride levels with a peak mean response of 139 per cent over fasting levels at four hours. Fasting serum triglyceride levels were good predictors of peak levels, being significantly correlated. Optical density rose in a similar fashion, being rather highly correlated with serum triglyceride levels at four and six hours. Mean levels of free fatty acids tended to fall initially, then rose slowly to an increase of 48 per cent over fasting levels by the sixth hour. The variability of successive measurements of fasting serum triglycerides is about three times that of serum cholesterol, a point of practical importance when this measurement is used as a predictor of ischemic heart disease or as a gauge of therapy.