DIFFERENCES IN POSTPRANDIAL LIPEMIC RESPONSE BETWEEN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPEANS

Postprandial lipaemic responses to two test meals were investigated in 30 Northern (15 British and 15 Irish), and 30 Southern (Greeks from C rete) healthy male Europeans. The meals were a saturated fatty acid (S FA) meal, which resembled the fatty acid composition of an average UK diet, and a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) meal in which the fat co nsisted of olive oil. Habitual diets of the two groups differed, with higher total fat, (P < 0.03) and MUFA (P < 0.0001) and lower polyunsat urated fatty acid (PUFA) (P < 0.0001) intakes in Southern than Norther n Europeans. Levels of total MUFA (P < 0.02) and oleic acid (P < 0.004 ) were also higher in adipose tissue of Southern in comparison to Nort hern Europeans. In both European groups there were no significant diff erences in postprandial triglyceride response between the two meal typ es, SFA or MUFA. However, Northern and Southern Europeans showed signi ficant differences in their patterns of postprandial response in plasm a triglycerides (P < 0.0001), apolipoprotein B-48 (P < 0.0001), NEFA ( P < 0.0001), insulin (P < 0.0007), and factor VII activity (P = 0.03). In the case of NEFA, areas under the response curve were higher follo wing the SFA than the MUFA meal for both groups, (P < 0.003) and were greater in Southern than Northern Europeans (P < 0.002) and apo B-48 r esponses were lower (P < 0.005). Some of these differences may reflect differences in fasting levels since fasting apolipoprotein B-48 level s were lower (P < 0.01) and fasting NEFA (P < 0.02) and insulin (P < 0 .005) were higher in the Southern than in the Northern Europeans. In a ddition, 9 h postprandial post-heparin lipoprotein lipase activity was lower in the Southern than in the Northern Europeans (P < 0.0006). Th is is the first report of differences in postprandial lipid, factor VI I and insulin responses in Southern and Northern Europeans which may b e of importance in explaining the different susceptibilities of these two populations to risk of coronary artery disease. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.