Effect of Medium-Chain Triglycerides on Postprandial Concen-trations of Remnant-Like Particles in Healthy Men

Abstract

A high concentration of remnant-like particles (RLP) has shown to be an arteriosclerosis risk factor that strongly reflects disorders of chylomicron and VLDL metabolism in patients with hyperlipidemia. The purpose of this study was to determine the serum concentrations of RLP-cholesterol after intake of meals containing medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) or long-chain triglycerides (LCT) in 29 healthy men. Test meals were prepared by a nationally registered dietitian as a pilaf containing 10 g of MCT or LCT and commercial clear soup. Blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 h after intake of the test meals. The concentrations of serum triglyceride, chylomicrons, chylomicron-triglyceride, RLP-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and VLDL-triglyceride after intake of MCT were lower than those after intake of the same amount of LCT. Moreover, the areas under the time-concentration curves of triglyceride, chylomicrons and RLP-cholesterol after intake of MCT were significantly lower than those after intake of LCT. The increases in concentrations of serum insulin and total ketone bodies after intake of MCT were significantly greater than those after intake of LCT. These results suggest that MCT may reduce the risk of coronary arteriosclerotic disease by attenuating the postprandial increase of RLP that is closely correlated with arteriosclerosis. © 2003, Japan Oil Chemists' Society. All rights reserved.