POSTPRANDIAL CHANGES IN PLASMA AND SERUM VISCOSITY AND PLASMA-LIPIDS AND LIPOPROTEINS AFTER AN ACUTE TEST MEAL

The influence of a fat-rich test meal on postprandial changes in plasm a viscosity and serum viscosity was assessed in 12 normolipidemic adul ts. After a 12-14-h fast, volunteers (five men and seven women aged 23 -50 y) were challenged with a test milk shake containing 50 g fat/m(2) body surface area (BSA). Plasma viscosity, serum viscosity, and plasm a lipids and lipoproteins were assessed at 0, 2, 3, 4, and 6 h. Viscos ity values were determined by using a Mettler Contraves LS-40 rotation al microviscometer. Postprandial changes in the study variables were a ssessed by area under the curve and included triacylglycerols (2.02 mm ol/L), plasma viscosity (-0.10 mPa . s), and serum viscosity (-0.01 mP a . s). Peak plasma triacylglycerol concentrations were significantly greater than those observed at baseline (P = 0.0022). There were no si gnificant changes in any other variable when fasting and peak values w ere compared. Peak plasma viscosity increased in three and decreased i n two subjects with no changes in the remaining seven subjects. Change s in peak plasma viscosity ranged from -7% to 7% with similar changes for serum viscosity, from -8% to 10%, and a slightly greater range for plasma fibrinogen, -16% to 10%. In this cohort of normotriacylglycero lemic subjects, there were no significant postprandial changes in plas ma viscosity or serum viscosity.