NORMAL POSTPRANDIAL LIPEMIA AND CHYLOMICRON CLEARANCE IN OFFSPRING OFPARENTS WITH EARLY CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

To assess the importance of postprandial lipemia and delayed chylomicr on clearance as early atherogenic risk factors, 60 male offspring of p arents with early coronary artery disease (CAD) and 41 controls were a dministered a fat-rich meal containing vitamin A. There were no signif icant differences between CAD-positive (CAD+) offspring and CAD-negati ve controls for areas under the postprandial curves for triglyceride a nd plasma, chylomicron, and chylomicron remnant retinyl palmitate. Old er CAD; offspring, aged 31-45 yr, had significantly increased very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, VLDL triglyceride, VLDL apopr otein B, and areas under postprandial curves for triglyceride and plas ma, chylomicron, and chylomicron remnant retinyl palmitate than younge r CAD+ offspring, aged 1.5-30 yr. Correcting for waist/hip ratio elimi nated significant differences between the two groups for VLDL and area s under the triglyceride and chylomicron remnant curves, but this was not the case for the insulin sensitivity index. We conclude that neith er increased postprandial lipemia nor abnormalities of chylomicron cle arance are important early atherogenic risk factors in this population . An increase in age is associated with increased VLDL and postprandia l lipemia and decreased chylomicron remnant clearance. This is due mai nly to an increase in the waist/hip ratio and not to a change in insul in sensitivity.