Postprandial Triglycerides, Flow-Mediated Dilation, and the Inflammatory Cytokine Milieu in Metabolically Healthy Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) remains controversial. We sought to further characterize the CVD risk profile in MHO by evaluating postprandial triglycerides, vascular function, and systemic inflammatory markers. Control individuals that were normal-weight and metabolically healthy (Con), MHO, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) were recruited (n = 10–11/group). Each participant underwent an abbreviated fat tolerance test, fasting and postprandial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and had a panel of inflammatory cytokines measured. MHO displayed postprandial triglycerides similar to those in Con and both MHO and Con had lower values than those for MetS (p < 0.01). Fasting FMD was lower in MHO and MetS compared to that of Con (p < 0.01), but during the postprandial period the vasodilatory response of MHO was similar to that while fasting (p = 0.39), while FMD in Con and MetS decreased after the high-fat meal (p values < 0.01). MHO displayed a number of inflammatory cytokines greater than those of Con and MetS (all p values < 0.05), while MetS and MHO had higher TNF-α than did Con (p < 0.05). In conclusion, MHO was associated with lower fasting FMD and a greater inflammatory burden but did not suffer the same negative postprandial effects as did MetS.