A study of postprandial lipoprotein metabolism and glycaemic control in a population with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia predicts cardiovascular disease and is a characteristic of both obesity and poorly controlled diabetes. To address the relative impact of improved glycaemic control and weight loss on postprandial triglyceride levels in type 2 diabetes, forty-one patients (cases) with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes were studied before and after optimisation of glycaemic control. Treatment involved lifestyle modification including dietary and exercise intervention and antihyperglycaemic drugs. Sixty patients without type 2 diabetes (controls) were also studied. Blood samples were drawn at baseline, two, four and six hours after a physiological meal. Plasma lipids, apolipoprotein B48, RLP-C, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), high sensitivity C reactive protein (CRPhs), insulin and C-peptide were measured at each time point. LDL and HDL sub-fraction analysis was carried out at baseline. Postprandial area under the curve (AUC) was determined by the trapezoidal method.