Association of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia and carotid intima/media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE - Serum triglyceride levels are important in the development of a therosclerosis. Although triglyceride levels are generally increased in the postprandial periods, the association between postprandial triglyceride (p TG) levels and atherosclerosis has not been investigated in diabetic patien ts. To investigate the role of pTG levels in atherosclerosis, we examined t he correlation between pTG levels and carotid intimal-medial thickness (IMT ). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Carotid IMT was measured by ultrasonography i n 61 patients with type 2 diabetes. Plasma glucose (PG), insulin, total cho lesterol, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol levels were measured after ove rnight lasting and 4 h after a meal. RESULTS - Carotid IMT of the patients with fasting hypertriglyceridemia was greater than that of the patients with normal fasting triglyceride (fTG) l evels (0.85 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.14 mm; P = 0.02). The carotid IMT was i ncreased in the patients with pTG levels >2.27 mmol/l. The normo-normo (NN) and normo-hyper (NH) groups consisted of patients with normal pTG levels b ut with pTG levels <2.27 and >2.27 mmol/l, respectively. Patients with both hyper triglyceridemia and pTG levels >2.27 mmol/l formed the hyper-hyper ( HH) group. Carotid IMT was significantly increased in the NH (0.86 +/- 0.13 mm) and HH (0.85 +/- 0.12 mm) groups compared with the NN group (0.73 +/- 0.13 mm; P < 0.01). Although postprandial PG, pTG, and fasting LDL choleste rol levels were all independently correlated with carotid IMT, pTG levels h ad the strongest statistical influence (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS - Postprandial hypertriglyceridemia despite normal fTG levels m ay be an independent risk factor for early atherosclerosis in type 2 diabet es.