Influence of body composition and anthropometric profile on postprandial triglycerides

The postprandial triglyceride response is a strong indicator of cardiovascular risk. The influence of anthropometrics and body composition on this response is incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to determine relationships between body composition and anthropometric measurements with postprandial triglycerides in a large sample of adults.

For this secondary analysis, body composition and postprandial triglycerides of 142 participants from five studies in our laboratory were used. Individuals participated in a validated abbreviated fat tolerance test (9 kcal/kg body weight; 70 % fat) with triglycerides measured at baseline and 4 h post-meal. Body composition and anthropometric measurements included body mass index (BMI), relative body fat, relative muscle mass, waist circumference, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT).

Four-hour postprandial triglycerides were greater in obesity class I compared to people with normal BMI, as well as higher in people with higher relative body fat, more VAT, greater waist circumference and lower relative muscle mass. After adjusting for age, sex and study, significant but weak to moderate positive correlations were observed between 4-h triglycerides and BMI, waist circumference, relative body fat and VAT, while a significant but weak inverse correlation was observed with relative muscle mass. In ROC analyses, relative muscle mass was the only significant predictor of an elevated 4-h triglyceride concentration (>175 mg/dL).

In our current sample, individuals with elevated relative body fat, VAT, waist circumference, BMI, and decreased relative muscle mass exhibited greater postprandial triglyceride responses, although correlations between anthropometric and body composition parameters were relatively weak. These results shed light on the relationship between body composition and the postprandial triglyceride response.