Long-term reproducibility of the intravenous fat tolerance test

The reproducibility of the intravenous fat tolerance test (IVFTT) with Intralipid was studied in 26 healthy volunteers, in whom the test was repeated after 5-9.5 years (mean interval 6.5 years). Mean body mass, IVFTT fractional removal rate and serum TG (triglyceride) concentration were not significantly changed with time, whereas a slight increase of the serum cholesterol concentration from 5.09 +/- 0.12 to 5.54 +/- 0.19 mmol/1 (P less than 0.05) was found. The coefficient of variation intra-individually for the IVFTT k2 value was 16%. The corresponding figure for the serum TG concentration was 29%. The results suggest that the IVFTT might be a useful tool in long-term evaluation of serum TG abnormalities.