Postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia in treated type 2 diabetic subjects --the role of dietary components.

Postprandial hyperlipidaemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study was done (a) to evaluate whether postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia was common in Indian type 2 diabetic patients on treatment and (b) to see whether the high carbohydrate content of the diet was a cause of the lipid abnormality. Two hundred type 2 diabetic subjects (M:F, 137:63; mean age 51.6+/-10.2 years, mean BMI 25.5+/-3.1 kg/m(2)) with diabetes duration of 7.6+/-5.6 years were studied. Fasting and 2 h post prandial responses of plasma glucose and triglycerides (TG) were measured using a breakfast meal, usually consumed by the patient with the intake of usual hypoglycaemic drugs. Patients with a post prandial TG value greater than 15% of the corresponding fasting TG value were designated as group 2 and the remaining subjects as group 1. Dietary composition of the breakfast were calculated. Among the 200 subjects, 52 (26%) had post prandial TG higher than the fasting values. This was seen in patients who were consuming lower percentage of carbohydrates and higher percentage of fats than prescribed. Therefore the postprandial rise in TG was probably due to the high fat content of the diet and due to a lower insulin sensitivity. This study highlights the facts that postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia is seen only in a small proportion of the treated patients and the high carbohydrate diet does not produce hypertriglyceridaemia, either in the fasting or post prandial state. The minority who show an increased TG value at 2 h have been taking lower carbohydrate with higher fat content in the meal. This could have produced a lower insulin sensitivity in these patients.