Daytime triglyceride variability in men and women with different levels of triglyceridemia

Triglyceride (TG) levels measured in either the fasting or non-fasting state predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since CVD risk assessment is affected by variability in TG, the aim of the study was to investigate intra-individual variability of non-fasting TG.

Capillary triglyceride (cTG) levels were measured in 246 free-living individuals at six time-points during the day on three separate occasions. Intra-individual variability in cTG was assessed by calculating the standard deviation of three measures at each time-point. Subjects were analyzed by gender and by fasting TG level.

In the fasting state, intra-individual variability was similar in males and females (0.28 and 0.35 mmol/l, respectively), but increased significantly in male but not in female subjects during the day, i.e., 0.28 to 0.69, and 0.35 to 0.36 mmol/l, resp. Subjects with higher fasting TG levels had greater absolute variability in both fasting and non-fasting TG.

The variability in non-fasting TG is greater in males and in individuals with higher levels of TG. Since greatest variability in non-fasting TG occurs very late in the day, it is unlikely to affect the assessment of CVD risk, which is based on a blood sample taken during daylight hours.