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Effects of an oral fat load on some prothrombotic markers in coronary heart patients
1Institute of Medical Clinic I, University of Catania, Italy.
Insights
A saturated fat load did not alter blood clotting balance in patients with coronary heart disease. However, it significantly reduced beta-thromboglobulin, indicating decreased platelet activation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Hemostasis and Thrombosis
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) patients may have altered hemostatic balance.
- Dietary fat intake can influence thrombotic risk.
- Molecular markers of clotting and platelet activation are crucial for risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a saturated oral fat load on hemostatic balance in CHD patients.
- To assess changes in molecular markers related to clotting and platelet activation.
- To determine if fat intake shifts the hemostatic balance towards a prothrombotic state.
Main Methods:
- 30 female CHD patients consumed a standardized diet without lipid- or clotting-influencing drugs.
- Blood samples were collected after overnight fasting and 3 hours post-oral fat load (1g/kg butter).
- Plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, beta-thromboglobulin, D-dimer, and tissue plasminogen activator were measured.
Main Results:
- Oral fat load significantly increased triglyceride levels (p<0.05) but did not alter total cholesterol.
- Beta-thromboglobulin levels significantly decreased (p<0.05), suggesting reduced platelet activation.
- D-dimer and tissue plasminogen activator showed non-significant increases.
Conclusions:
- A saturated oral fat load does not induce a prothrombotic hemostatic shift in chronic CHD patients.
- Reduced platelet activation, possibly due to endogenous heparin release, was observed.
- Further research into dietary fat impact on hemostasis in cardiovascular disease is warranted.
Abstract:
The Authors studied the effects of an oral fat load with saturated fats on some recently identified molecular markers in order to assess a change in clotting balance in a prothrombotic sense. The series consists of 30 female subjects (mean age 46 +/- 4 yrs) suffering from coronary heart disease in the chronic phase (previous myocardial infarction, angor). Each subjects was kept on a standard diet and without drugs influencing the lipid and clotting balance. A venous blood withdrawal was done after an overnight fasting and three hours after an oral fat load (butter g 1/kg). For each sample the plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (enzymatic method), beta-thromboglobulin, d-dimer and tissue plasminogen activator (immunoenzymatic ELISA Methods, Boehringer Mannheim) were determined. The oral fat load caused a significant increase in triglycerides (p less than 0.05), whereas total cholesterol values remained almost unchanged. The values of beta-thromboglobulin showed a significant (p less than 0.05) reduction, whereas the ones of D-dimer (D-D) and tissue plasminogen activator showed a slight but not significant increase. The results demonstrated that the oral fat load did not cause any hemostatic change in prothrombotic sense; moreover, a reduction of the platelet activation is notable, probably dependent on the consumption of endogenous heparin involved in the lipoproteinlipase release.