Effects of a High Fat Meal Challenge with Different Doses of Spice Blend on Postprandial Fatty Acid Suppression
Open Access
- Author:
- Anto, Jessica
- Area of Honors:
- Nutritional Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Gregory C Shearer, Thesis Supervisor
Alison Diane Gernand, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- NEFA
fatty acid - Abstract:
- High fat meals can increase inflammation and plasma triglycerides. Poor suppression of postprandial adipocyte lipolysis results in higher levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in insulin resistant subjects. This impaired suppression of NEFA may exacerbate hypertriglyceridemia following a high fat meal by increasing available fatty acids. We have shown in previous studies that myristic acid and stearic acid are less suppressed than other fatty acids 1 hour following a glucose challenge, and this pattern may indicate optimal adipocyte insulin sensitivity. It is unknown if the same pattern occurs in other contexts, such as following a high fat meal. Plasma samples were collected from 12 males with overweight or obesity at baseline and 4 time points following a high fat meal (1076 kcal, 39% kcal from saturated fat) on 3 visits. Meals contained either 0, 2, or 6 grams of a spice blend. Plasma was analyzed by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS ) to measure multiple fatty acids, including myristic acid (MA), stearic acid (SA), palmitic acid (PA), oleic acid (OA), and linoleic acid (LA). At 1 hour following the high fat meal, MA and SA were less suppressed than OA, PA, and LA. PA, OA, SA, and LA achieved maximal suppression at 2 hours and remained suppressed. MA was most suppressed at 1 hour and then returned to baseline. Compared to baseline, all saturated fatty acids increased as percent of total NEFA at 2 hours. As TG:HDL increased, area under the curve for plasma LA also increased. There was no effect of the spice blend on NEFA suppression. In males with overweight or obesity, NEFA was most suppressed at 2 hours following a high fat meal challenge, but MA and SA were suppressed less than all other fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids increased as a percent of total NEFA following the meal challenge, while unsaturated fatty acids decreased. These data support our previous findings that MA and SA are less suppressed by insulin than other fatty acids.